


Not Quite Famous

by jasonsmclean



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Famous, Annabeth Chase & Jason Grace Friendship, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Minor Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Mutual Pining, Not Canon Compliant - The Heroes of Olympus, Percy Jackson & Piper McLean Friendship, Piper McLean & Leo Valdez Friendship, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2019-10-06 22:14:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 99,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jasonsmclean/pseuds/jasonsmclean
Summary: The kids of celebrities are their own breed. They aren’t known for their abilities or talents, but they are well-known by association. Their pictures are coveted, their social media accounts with thousands, if not millions, of followers, and all of their friends are suddenly scrutinized as well.When Jason Grace, son of famous actress Beryl Grace, returns to the spotlight for the first time in years, the media is desperate for any scrap of information about him. Even if it means creating rumors of a relationship with Tristan McLean's daughter, Piper.





	1. Put it in Drive

**Author's Note:**

> hi okay this is the first fic i've written in actual YEARS, and i'm used to wattpad so this may be getting used to
> 
> also my updates may not be very frequent as i am in college and am busy 4 days a week with classes but i really love this idea so i will try to update a few times per month!
> 
> i hope you enjoy y'all and follow me on tumblr ;) same username

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason's mom is famous. He is not— well, he wasn't. That's about to change.

The drive was about two hours long, not that Jason needed a GPS to find his way back. He had completed the drive more times than he could count, and it filled him with ease. Whenever he was set out to make the drive, his brain went on autopilot, the music blaring from his speakers drowning out the world around him. Even traffic didn’t bug him so much anymore. Today he was especially unbothered, and he knew once he hit the Friday rush hour that he would still be in a relatively good mood.

His Jeep was overly crowded, the suitcases and boxes piled in the trunk and the backseat. It would’ve had more room, but Annabeth’s things were also there, so it took a little bit of effort to close the doors.

“Looking good, Grace.” His best friend’s voice came from behind him, and then the blonde stood shoulder to shoulder with him. She handed him a smoothie, specialty of their school’s cafeteria. With a beaming smile, she nudged his arm. “Ready for the best summer ever?”

He laughed, gazing down at her through his sunglasses. “Thought you’d never ask.” He got into the driver’s seat, Annabeth getting into the passenger seat. He revved the engine, leaving the array of brick buildings behind them. As he got onto the freeway, Annabeth rolled down her window. The salty sea breeze always rejuvenated Jason, and as his Jeep gained speed, his speakers began blasting Queen. The two of them began singing along, preparing to be home for the summer.

Their boarding school was located just outside Santa Barbara, a little under two hours away from LA. Jason and Annabeth, although knowing each other since they were in diapers, had attended the school since they were eleven and twelve respectively. This marked the end of an era, for Annabeth had graduated the previous night in a small ceremony in UCSB’s auditorium. Now she was off to Stanford in the fall to major in architecture and Jason would have to fend for himself senior year.

The first half of their trip was quiet except for the music. There was no traffic, so Jason drove just above the speed limit. The windows remained down, the road winding along the ocean. Annabeth’s curls were like a flurry around her face from the wind, and she was so still Jason wondered if she was asleep. She certainly looked comfortable, her feet propped up on the dash (he always bugged her about that, but she never listened so he stopped reminding her) and her face angled towards the sunshine. It wasn’t until they hit traffic a few miles past Ventura that she spoke.

“We should go to Disneyland sometime this weekend,” she murmured, rolling up her window since they couldn’t see the ocean anymore. “Or Universal. Or maybe San Diego.”

Jason laughed. “Why the rush? We have all summer.”

She lowered her sunglasses, and if he hadn’t known her well, he would’ve been intimidated by the natural glint in her grey eyes. “Your mom and my mom have work starting Monday morning. I don’t know about  _you_ , but I’m going to swing by for an hour or so.”

He sensed the hint in her voice. “Annabeth, of course I’ll stop by for a little bit.” The words sounded a little bitter even to him.

She gave an unconvinced  _hmph_ , turning her head to look out the window as the Jeep crawled along at an ungodly slow speed. He tried to ignore her attitude, instead focusing on seeing his sister that evening and sleeping in his own room for the first time in months. 

His thoughts were interrupted by Annabeth reading something, her voice monotone and serious: “‘Production begins on Monday for the movie adaption of New York Times’ Bestseller  _Sent From Heaven_. It is a highly anticipated film, as it stars Oscar winning actor Tristan McLean and Beryl Grace, who is attempting a come—’”

“Annabeth, I know about the movie,” Jason reminded her. He didn’t glance over at her, but he heard the click of her phone locking. “I don’t understand why you’re still bugging me about it.”

“It’s a big deal to her, Jason.” Her voice was gentle. “It should be a big deal for you, too. Not to mention that my mom is over the moon, which she rarely is, but this can be huge for our families. We might actually be okay for once.”

He still didn’t look over at her. Her hand reached over and grabbed his, squeezing it. He finally looked over at her and she smiled at him.

“I wasn’t lying when I said it’d be the best summer ever,” she said softly. “But if you continue to act this way, it won’t be. You have to accept this part of the summer, too. You have to support your mom, Jason.”

He sighed. She was right, as always. “Okay, fine,” he said. “I  _am_  happy for her, I really am. It’s just hard, you know? It’s been a long time.”

Annabeth was no longer smiling. She gave him a sad look, squeezing his fingers again. “I know. Trust me, I know.”

The rest of the ride home was silent except for the background hum of the car stereo.

* * *

Thalia picked him up later that night from home. She took him to a burger place in Santa Monica, and from their table Jason could see the pier. The sun was reflecting over the water, the fresh summer air comforting and put him at peace.

If people didn’t know the Graces, they would’ve been fooled into thinking they weren’t siblings. While Jason had blond hair and dressed like an average boarding school student, Thalia’s black hair hung in a choppy mess, piercings lined her ears, and she wore all black. She’d always been the rebellious child, but after becoming frontman for her band Struck By Lightning, her punk look was taken to the next level. Jason’s hair color was from their mother, and Thalia’s dark hair was from their father. Both of their parents had blue eyes, and so did the two of them— one of the very few things they had physically in common.

“I don’t understand how you got such a high GPA,” Thalia deadpanned, taking a bite of her burger. After she swallowed, she shook her head. “Is a 4.5 even possible?”

“Uh, yeah, with AP classes,” Jason explained. He took a drink of his chocolate milkshake, swirling the straw around the glass to mix the shake in with the whipped cream. “I’m trying to get into good schools for next fall, Thalia. You have to have a good GPA.”

“And that is where we differ, baby brother.” She smiled at him fondly. “For me, I was okay getting Cs. Look at me now.” She posed, and the light sparkled against the stud in her nose. He laughed, which caused her to laugh. When their laughter stopped, she sighed. “How’s Annabeth?” While it had been Jason and Annabeth who had been best friends, Thalia had always regarded Annabeth as a little sister. Thalia may have been five years older, but the girls also had a strong relationship.

“The usual. Smart. Graduated now.”

His sister gave him a sad smile. “You’ll be okay. Knowing you two, you’ll still see each other all the time.”

He shook his head. “She’s going to Stanford. If she would’ve picked USC, it would be different because that’s only two hours compared to, like, halfway across the state.”

“She can fly to you,” Thalia pointed out. “There’s Amtrak.”

“True.” Jason stared at his milkshake, still swirling the straw around, watching as the liquid spun around inside the glass.

“Why don’t you apply to Stanford?” Thalia suggested. “You’re smart.”

Jason couldn’t help it. He scoffed, and she raised her eyebrows in confusion. “It’s a five percent acceptance rate. Annabeth is freaky smart. I’m...  _average_  smart.”

“Oh, shut up.” Thalia tossed a French fry, and he caught it. (Playing multiple sports throughout his life helped him with his reflexes.) “Doesn’t mean you can’t apply. Annabeth and you are practically connected at the hip. Just because she graduated doesn’t mean that has to end.”

He shrugged. He didn’t like to think about Annabeth leaving him to go to an amazing school hundreds of miles away. She was by no means abandoning him, either; while Jason’s life had been thoroughly shitty, so had hers. Yet she had been his safe place to escape to when things were especially bad at home.

“Stanford is a really amazing school,” Thalia reminded him, her voice soft. She reached across the table to squeeze his hand. “I believe in you, baby brother. And even if you don’t get into there, there are a bunch of schools around that area that are still really good.”

“Yeah.” He took another sip of his milkshake before looking at her. “Have you seen Mom lately?”

“Not really. Haven’t really stopped by.” Thalia got a stormy look in her eyes. “We talk on the phone maybe once a week. She seems to be doing better. She’s really excited for you to come home.”

“I was home.” Jason felt his jaw tense, and he hated himself for being angry, but there was the bitterness that he was sure would never go away. “I was home for, like, an hour before you picked me up.”

Thalia squeezed his finger again, almost as if telling him to stay calm. “She’s always with Athena on weeknights because she has a ton of meetings. And naturally Dad always works late, figures.” She looked just as bitter as Jason felt. “There’s a reason I moved out. The only reason I still talk to them is because they have custody over you and I don’t.”

“Hey, it’s okay. If things get bad again, I’ll move in with you.” He tried to give her a reassuring smile. “Knowing them, by July I’ll—”

_Click._

There it was. The obnoxious and inevitable noise of the camera shutter. To Jason’s left, a flash went off. When he looked over, he saw a man in sunglasses and dressed in all black attempting to hide his camera.

“ _Fucking hell_.” Thalia gave the man a dirty look, slamming two crumpled bills down on the table. She shoved a final handful of fries into her mouth, standing up. “Come on, Jason. I’ll drive you home.”

Jason stood up, keeping his head down as he followed Thalia through the crowded restaurant. People were looking at them, as they always did whenever they went into public. Well, people usually didn’t stare at Jason, but Thalia was another story. She took a deep breath, whispering for him to come closer as they exited the building.

There wasn’t too many photographers, only four of them. Jason was used to more. He kept his eyes straight down as the cameras flashed nonstop around them. Thalia tensed up beside him, pointedly keeping her eyes straight ahead to ignore them. As they made their way towards Thalia’s Range Rover, questions were being shouted towards the siblings.

“Thalia! Any new music coming soon?”

“Thalia! Is it true that you’re kicking Zach out of the band?”

“Jason! Jason! Are you really graduating early so you can leave your parents behind?”

“Is your mom really sober or is this just a publicity stunt?”

They made it to Thalia’s car. They immediately jumped inside, Thalia locking the car and blasting Green Day. She pulled out of the parking spot she was in, raising a middle finger to the glass at the photographers as she sped away from them.

“Fucking vultures,” Thalia muttered, turning the music down as she pulled out onto the street. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you haven’t seen those guys in a while.”

“Yeah,” Jason admitted. “It’s been probably four years since they’ve gotten a decent shot of me.” His hands were slightly shaking, and he inhaled.  _Relax. You’re used to this. It was only paparazzi.  
_

The silence was painstaking. Thalia was pissed, her knuckles stark white on the steering wheel. She finally breathed in, looking at her brother with knit eyebrows. “Hey. It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.” His voice was short, and he stared out the windshield. He couldn’t look at her. “This is going to happen all summer because of Mom.”

Thalia sighed. “Probably. I’m sorry.”

Jason didn’t talk after that. He hated how angry he was, hated that this was his life. This was the part of his life that he got to escape for a little while whenever he was at the boarding school. The past few years had been eerily calm, but that was only because his mom was too drunk to get any attention.

Thanks to his mom’s new movie deal with Tristan McLean, Jason was back in the spotlight. And he wasn’t even famous.


	2. Summer Night, I Don't Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper's two friends are annoying, but she loves them anyways. What are friends for if they don't annoy the hell out of you?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so my last update was tuesday, and since i have classes from 8am-3pm on tuesdays i have decided to move my updates from every tuesday to every saturday
> 
> i have up to chapter 6 prewritten already and i am really freaking exciting to see how this plays out, i have so many ideas i need to explore in this and i am thrilled to see where this goes
> 
> and every chapter will alternate between jason's and piper's pov! so here is piper. this is also a short chapter but after this one the chapters will get longer as the plot actually comes into play
> 
> enjoy guys!

“Hello? Anyone home?”

Piper didn’t bother opening her eyes. “Gate’s open,” she called out, angling her head up a little higher, feeling the warmth of the afternoon sun on her cheeks. She could hear the gate to her left creak open, and then a splash from her pool.

“Got a little gift for the start of summer,” Leo said gleefully. Piper recognized the smug edge in his voice, so she sat up, taking off her sunglasses and opening her eyes. Her curly-haired friend held up a six pack of wine coolers. “Peach, just like you like, Pipes.”

“You are a godsend.” Piper stretched, adjusting the top of her yellow bikini and leaning over when Leo sat in the beach chair beside her. She took a bottle and opened it, waiting for Leo to open his. They tapped glasses and took a sip. “How’d you get these?”

“I never reveal my secrets.” His brown eyes twinkled. He glanced over at the other boy in the pool, calling out, “I got you soda.”

Percy’s head of wet black hair popped up at the pool’s edge, resting his tanned arms on the pool deck, half of his body above water. He was the sober friend, and he smiled gratefully. “Thanks.” He hauled himself out of the water, shaking out his hair like a dog. He grabbed the towel from the back of Leo’s chair, beginning to dry himself off. “What’s on the agenda for tonight?”

“My dad’s gonna be out late with all those interviews,” Piper said. “We can stay here. You know he doesn’t mind sleepovers.”

Piper’s house was the one that usually held their sleepovers. It sat on the beach, and from where Piper sat, she could see the waves lapping up onto the sand. The house was usually empty anyways, since her dad was a busy man and she had school. But now was the start of summer, which meant it was high time for the house to have inhabitants even for just a little bit.

“More interviews?” Leo took a swig of his wine cooler, raising his eyebrows. “Doesn’t that seem excessive? I mean, he hasn’t even begun to film yet.”

Percy scoffed. “Dude, the movie’s based off _Sent From Heaven_. Practically every white middle-aged mom and teenage girl has read that book. It’s a big deal. Plus it’s Beryl Grace’s first movie in, like, ten years. Publicity is key.”

Leo shook his head. “My ma’s not even scheduled to help out on set for a solid month. What the hell are they gonna film if they don’t need special effects for an entire month?”

“The main character doesn’t reveal she’s an angel to the human until probably the middle of the book,” Piper explained. She hadn’t read the book, but her father had in preparation for the role. He also continuously went over the script with Piper, so it was unfortunately engrained in her mind. “Dad said they’re filming all the human-to-human scenes first, then slowly integrate the angel scenes.”

“You sound like my mom.” Percy shook his head, sitting down on the chair where Piper’s legs had been sprawled out previously. “When your dad told my mom that he got the role, she freaked. She’s so excited, she’s trying to make up excuses to go onto set.”

“I’ll be on set plenty,” Piper assured him. “We’re gonna call it an internship to put on my college apps. I’ll spend a few weeks this summer hanging around, and then Europe is waiting for me.”

“You’re a real ass for leaving us,” Leo complained, shoving her knee playfully. “What’re we supposed to do when you’re gone? It’s not like we’ll be able to come here.”

Piper snorted, rolling her eyes. “My dad literally doesn’t care if you just show up. He’ll be filming most of the time, anyways. They change locations to North Carolina right after I leave to Europe. You guys both have a key, just show up.”

Ever since she had become friends with the two of them when she was eight years old, they had been inseparable. Esperanza, Leo’s mom, always joked about how they were the three musketeers. All three of them had keys to each other’s houses, and they had attended school today shortly after they became friends.

“Still. Won’t be the same.” Percy sighed dramatically. “Maybe you can just sneak us on your flight in your suitcase.”

“There’s definitely a weight limit, but nice try.” Piper blew her friend a kiss, which he pretended to swat away. “Trust me, you guys wouldn’t want to come. Mom has fashion shows practically every day we’re there.”

Percy gave her a look. “You dragged me to Fashion Week last year. I think I could handle more shows.”

Piper was about to argue back when Leo sat up straight. “Your dad’s interview with _Entertainment Tonight_ is about to come on. It says in the Tweet that he talks about you.”

“He talks about me in almost every interview he does,” Piper reminded Leo, but he was standing up, grabbing the six pack. Percy also stood up, and she groaned. She followed behind her friends as they made their way to the French doors that led into the family room. As if he lived there, Leo turned on the massive flat screen, quickly switching it to the correct channel as he slumped onto the couch.

Right as the channel switched, a perky blonde reporter came into view. “ _Now, as Hollywood prepares for the filming of the movie adaptation for best seller_ Sent From Heaven _, ET’s very own Lilly Williams sat down with lead actor Tristan McLean to discuss his career, family, and anticipation for the movie._ ”

“Guys, this is dumb, you both know my dad is—” Piper began to say, but both Percy and Leo shushed her.

Piper’s dad appeared on the screen, wearing a collared blue shirt that she had given him for his birthday. His long black hair flowed down his shoulders, framing his face perfectly. (Hollywood swooned over his hair. He was one of the only famous Native American actors out there, so they acted as if long hair was a personality trait instead of a normalized Cherokee act.) He smiled warmly at yet another perky blonde.

“ _It’s so nice to meet you, Mr. McLean,_ ” Lilly said warmly. “ _Now, to start out, how excited are you to play Richard in_ Sent From Heaven _?_ ”

“ _It’s obviously a great honor. I know how much Richard’s character means to all of the book fans, and to be picked is very humbling. I feel as though I have very large shoes to fill._ ” Tristan laughed, shaking his head slightly. “ _It is a very interesting role. I’ve played many different types of characters, but to play a man who is being protected rather than being the protector is a certain dynamic that I can’t wait to tackle._ ”

Leo pretended to swoon. Piper leaned over and punched him. She finished off her wine cooler, grabbing another bottle and drinking it. She was used to seeing her dad on TV, but it was annoying when her friends put it on just to bug her.

Lilly’s smile seemed to grow on the screen. “ _Of course, of course. We’re all very excited to see how you tackle Richard’s character. But I have to ask about your costar. Everyone is eagerly waiting to see Beryl Grace’s longly anticipated return to the silver screen. How does it feel to have her play your love interest in the movie?_ ”

 _“It’s obviously a huge honor to work beside Beryl. She was a huge actress before I got my big break, and she was one of the many amazing performers that I looked up to as I made a name for myself. She’s extremely talented and I know that she’ll be wonderful. I’m so glad that I’m her costar for her return._ ” Tristan nodded, and Piper knew he was telling the truth. When news got around that Beryl was his costar, he freaked out because she was one of his celebrity crushes. (Could celebrities have their own celebrity crushes? Piper didn’t know.)

“ _Of course._ ” Lilly suddenly looked very sympathetic. “ _Everyone was crushed when alcoholism took her away from her career. Do you think that could affect her performance?_ ”

“ _Beryl is extremely talented and dedicated to not only this movie but also to her sobriety. I have no doubt that she’ll be amazing,_ ” Tristan answered back shortly. Percy whistled, muttered something about the bluntness of the interviewer as he drank his Coke.

“ _And of course, she has two children herself. One of them, Jason, is the age of your daughter, Piper._ ” As Lilly spoke, two pictures appeared beside her, one of Beryl, and the other of a blonde boy. The picture was blurry, an obvious pap shot, and Piper could hardly make out his face. “People Magazine _reported that your daughter will be interning on the set of the movie. Does this mean we’ll be seeing Piper follow in your footsteps to become an actress?_ ”

As a picture of Piper from her Instagram appeared on the TV screen, Piper almost spit out her wine cooler. Leo burst out laughing and Percy was trying hard not to crack a smile.

“ _I mean, I don’t think Piper is necessarily looking to become an actress, but that could always change in—_ ” Before her father could finish his sentence, Piper had turned off the TV.

“Hey!” Leo protested. “That was good! I wanted to see if Piper McLean wants to become an actress!”

This time, Piper threw a pillow straight at his face, and he was so surprised that he didn’t dodge it. “Funny. But no, she doesn’t. As per usual, the gossip is wrong. I’m only doing it to make myself look good for college.” She finished off the second bottle, setting it down with a little more force than necessary. Being the daughter of an Oscar winning actor definitely had its cons, such as tabloids always taking bits of information and creating a completely false narrative that either she, her dad, or her dad’s agents had to correct before all hell broke loose. “Nice, now I’m going to get Tweets about becoming an actress. Lovely.”

Percy sighed, patting her knee. “Cheer up. There’s been worse rumors. Remember when _The Sun_ claimed that we were dating and you were cheating on me with Leo?”

Piper stifled a laugh. “God, don’t remind me. That was awful.” When she was fifteen, the media got bored and created an elaborate story in which Piper was with Percy, yet paparazzi shots caught her with Leo, so it became a cheating scandal. Back then, it had been a mess, but now she remembered the ridiculousness of the tabloid stories and laughed.

Leo clutched his chest. “I still thought that our connection was special, Pipes. You told me you would leave him for me.”

“Stuff it, Valdez.” Piper flipped him off. “I’m happy for my dad, this role is amazing for him, but I hate how the reporters can never just ask about the movie. They always have to change the subject.”

“Yeah.” Percy grimaced. “That was kinda fucked up when she asked your dad about Beryl’s alcoholism. How should he know anything about that?”

“I don’t know. Trust me. He’s been asked that in almost every interview since the cast was revealed.” Piper shook her head. “Hopefully it’ll blow over when the movie’s actually released. And I’m meeting her on Monday for the first time, so that’ll be cool.”

“Exciting. Maybe you’ll meet her son,” Leo teased. “I didn’t even know she had a son. I knew about Thalia since she’s in that screamo band.”

Piper shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe he’s just normal. Considering he’s hardly ever talked about, I doubt I’ll meet him, anyways.”

Looking back on that conversation, Piper wished she knew what she had coming for her.


	3. There's a Blade Where Your Heart Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason usually isn't rude. He just can't help it when he meets Tristan McLean's daughter.

By the time Monday rolled around, Jason’s mom was close to having a nervous breakdown.

Naturally, his dad left right when he woke up to go to work. Thalia was with her band, and that left Jason home alone with his mom. She was pacing around their Beverly Hills mansion, going over her lines repeatedly. He watched her from the kitchen island, her blonde hair a flurry around her face as she went over her lines for what felt like the thousandth time.

His mom had never looked so put together from what Jason could remember. Her blonde hair was recently retouched to hide her grey hairs, and she had gained a decent amount of weight back. Most of all, she was coherent. She was out of bed, and she didn’t reek of alcohol. Despite looking presentable, he could remember last summer when she was blacked out every day, and he could still hear her sobs as she admitted that she had a problem.

He shook his head, not wanting to think about that.

“Oh, my car’s here!” She perked up, smiling. She was too perky considering that it was only six forty-five. (Yes, Jason was usually an early riser, but he was only awake now to see his mom off to her first day of filming.) “And Emily! You remember Emily, right, honey?”

 _Emily, Emily, Emily…_ Jason wracked his brain. “Wasn’t she your bodyguard?”

“Yes!” Beryl was grabbing her purse, looking excited. “I rehired her once I got cast in this movie. You remember her son, right?”

 _Vaguely_ , Jason wanted to say. He could remember running around with Emily’s son and Annabeth while his mom was in meetings, but that was so long ago. His mom had stopped acting when Jason was only five. Emily stopped working for his mom when he was seven. “Kind of. That was a long time ago, Mom.”

“Well, he’s your age,” his mom said, brushing off his offhand comment. “He wants to go into the Marines, so he works with her for some relatable experience before he goes to boot camp. You’ll see him around.” She began heading for the back door when she stopped suddenly. “Jason?”

“Yes, Mom?” He heard the hesitation in her voice, so he perked up. “What is it?”

She shifted, hand on the doorknob. “There’s a break in filming around noon for lunch. Would you want to come? I’m sure everyone would love to meet you.”

Jason almost told her no. This was not the life he wanted for himself. This life had ruined his mother’s career and ripped his family apart. He still saw the ramifications of Hollywood’s impact— his mom’s struggle to remain sober, his sister’s anger towards paparazzi, his dad’s absence. Why should he give in and hang out on a movie set?

She seemed to notice his hesitation. “Athena would love to see you. I know you saw her at Annabeth’s graduation, but it’d be nice, Jason. It’s been a long time since we were in this area. She’s invited Annabeth as well.”

 _Well, if Annabeth was going…_ “Sure, Mom. I’ll see you at lunch.”

His mom’s smile was dazzling, and her blue eyes twinkled. “Really? Okay. See you then. Love you.” Jason didn’t reply, and she was exiting the back door before he even considering telling her that he loved her as well.

He stared out the window, wishing for the anger and hurt to go away, but he knew that it would forever be present. He couldn’t even be happy without the negativity clouding his vision. He groaned, dreading for noon to arrive.

* * *

Traffic wasn’t too awful. Jason texted Annabeth a dozen times to confirm that yes, she was going to lunch on set as well, and he made sure he looked presentable before getting into his Jeep. He knew that now filming had officially started, he was going to be an even bigger paparazzi target.

When he arrived at the studio, the security guard asked for his ID. He must have been on some list or something, because he was allowed to enter and park. Jason parked, getting out of his car and walking towards the entrance to the studio. He kept his sunglasses on, weary of the paparazzi. This was Hollywood now; they could be anywhere.

His mom was waiting for him in the lobby. She broke out into a huge smile when she saw him. “Just in time!” She was dressed in an elegant white dress, her blonde hair curled and twisted into an extravagant updo. Her face was glowing with makeup, her eyes framed with thick lashes complimentary of mascara. “I just finished shooting a scene. Oh, Jason, Tristan is _phenomenal_. Other movies don’t do him justice. His acting in real life is so much more powerful!"

“Glad to hear, Mom.” Jason accepted the hug she gave him.

“You remember Emily, right?” She gestured to the tall Chinese woman standing beside her. “I told you he’s grown, huh?”

The bodyguard smiled. “Tall like his father. How have you been, Jason?”

“Alright. Thank you.” Jason may have been uncomfortable, but he still remembered his manners. “Mom said your son works with you?”

Emily’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, yes. Frank’s getting food right now with Annabeth. They’re just inside.” Emily gestured for him and his mom to follow.

They exited the lobby, entering a huge hangar-style area. The set was crowded with people, and he could see different settings— a bedroom, a bench with a single streetlight, and the front desk of what looked like a doctor’s office. There were cameras, microphones, and chairs all over. The filming sets themself were abandoned, and people were grabbing food from a banquet sized table. Although having not seen a movie set in years, the sight was familiar enough that Jason didn’t have to gawk to take it all in. He spotted Annabeth immediately at the food table and made his way to her.

“Glad to see you could make it.” Annabeth glanced up, holding a wrapped deli sandwich. “Look who I ran into! Frank! We haven’t seen him in years.”

Frank, although several inches taller than Jason, had the same baby face from years ago. He was wearing the same outfit as his mom, a black shirt and khakis. A walkie-talkie was on his belt. The ensemble did not fit the baby face Jason could remember running around with.

“How’ve you been, man?” Frank asked, his voice shockingly low. Jason should’ve expected a low voice since he was so tall, but it was weird to reunite with someone after they had grown up. Jason felt strangely old because at some point in his life, they had been friends.

 _Life never stays the same_ , Jason thought pessimistically. _Look at your life now. It changed so much in just a week, so don’t be sad about the changes over nearly a decade. Look where you are. Stop being so nostalgic over seeing Frank, it’s not a big deal._

“I’ve been pretty good.” Jason nodded as he grabbed his own sandwich from the table. Well, he _had_ been pretty good up until a few days ago. He wasn’t sure how he was doing now. “I heard that you’re going into the Marines.”

“Yeah. Plan on going to boot camp after senior year.” Frank grinned. “My dad wanted me to intern for the police department with him, but I…” He faltered, face turning red. “Preferred spending the summer with my mom.”

 _Oh, boy._ “I feel that.” Jason smiled sadly. _Too bad Dad’s never around to hang around with_. “But that’s awesome. I bet all your friends are jealous that you get to hang around celebrities all summer.”

Frank chuckled. “Yeah. Kinda crazy I get to spend all day with Beryl Grace and Tristan McLean. Nobody believed me until today when I sent them a picture of me outside of their trailers. The actors are so nice, which is great because I was so nervous meeting them. Since I’m still a minor, I don’t get to watch over them, though. They need more experienced workers since they’re the biggest names in Hollywood.”

Annabeth tilted her head in curiosity. “Really? But your job is literally being a bodyguard. Who do you watch over?”

“Oh, uh…” Frank swiveled his head, and he jerked his head across the room. “Her.”

Jason and Annabeth followed Frank’s gaze. The folded chairs for celebrities was behind the main camera, and a man with long black hair sat in one of them, holding a script in one hand and a coffee in the other. Jason recognized Tristan McLean from anywhere. But that’s not who Frank was looking at; he was looking at someone beside the actor.

“You’re assigned to guard Piper McLean?” Annabeth sounded impressed. “That’s so cool.”

“Uh, who?” Jason asked. He couldn’t believe that Annabeth recognized the girl from several yards away. He couldn’t even see her face— all he saw was dark brown hair braided back, a yellow tank top, and faded blue jeans.

“Piper McLean.” Annabeth sounded impatient. “Tristan McLean’s daughter. She’s interning on the set for a few weeks.”

Jason gave his best friend a blank look. “Cool?”

Annabeth sighed. “You’re impossible. She’s probably one of the most famous of the celebrity kids, probably only second to Jaden Smith. Her mom’s Aphrodite Olympios, that famous fashion designer.”

“How do you know anything about her?” Jason asked. “Who _are_ you? I don’t recognize this side of you.”

At that, Annabeth turned red. “I like my fair share of celebrities, thanks. I studied up on her when your mom was cast with Tristan McLean. She seems pretty cool.”

“Have you met her?” he asked. “You’re defending yourself as if you know her.”

“No, I don’t.” Annabeth gave him a strange look. “I know _of_ her, yeah. Her dad’s Tristan McLean, how could you not know of her?”

“I’m Beryl Grace’s son. Plenty of people don’t know about me,” Jason said flatly.

Frank’s eyes had been flitting back and forth, as if he was watching a tennis match, and finally he cleared his throat. “Hi, Piper,” he said loudly. “Have you met Annabeth and Jason yet?”

When Jason looked up, he wished that Piper McLean wasn’t as pretty as she was.

She had many similarities to her dad— perfect complexion, same shaped nose, long eyelashes. Her dark hair was braided back, which showed more of her face, and Jason could see she wasn’t wearing any makeup. When she got closer, he could see her warm brown eyes. If he hadn’t met her in this circumstance, he would’ve sworn that she was an ordinary girl. Well, an ordinary girl in the sense that she wasn’t the daughter of anyone famous, because her looks were extraordinary. He could feel his cheeks heat up and automatically knew he was flushed.

“No, I haven’t.” Piper McLean smiled, holding her hand out to Jason first. “I’m Piper McLean.”

He stuck out his hand, shaking it once before pulling away. “Jason Grace.”

Awareness dawned in her eyes, and he really hoped she wasn’t making the connection. “You’re Beryl’s son!” _Of course_. “She was talking about you this morning. It’s so nice to meet you.”

If only she hadn’t said that— connected him to his mom. He tried to smile, tried to be friendly because she was beautiful and seemed nice enough, but this was his reality now, and he wasn’t content with his reality. People would only recognize him because he was Beryl Grace’s son, not his own person. This was the lifestyle that controlled his family, and now it was going to control him. “Yeah. Likewise,” he replied. He knew that his voice was far from friendly, and he regretted it because he saw how the smile on Piper McLean’s face faltered.

Annabeth swooped in, sticking her hand out as well. She shot Jason a subtle dirty look, then smiled. “I’m Annabeth Chase. My mom is Beryl’s agent.”

“Oh, Athena!” Piper’s smile reappeared. “Okay, yeah, I didn’t see it at first, but the eyes…” She laughed. “Definitely the same. Are you interning here or something?”

“Oh, no. Movie sets aren’t my thing. I’m just here for lunch,” Annabeth responded. “I’m heading to Stanford in the fall for architecture, actually.”

Piper’s eyes widened. “That is so cool! Wow! I was just wondering because there’s been no one my age here except for Frank, and I’m technically an intern.” She pointed to the ID badge clipped to her shorts, grinning. “Perks of being Tristan McLean’s daughter.”

At that comment, Jason couldn’t help it— he scowled. Of course she was one of those people, taking advantage of her dad’s fame just because she could. She had the perfect life with the perfect dad and never had to struggle a single day in her life, and now she was working on the set of a major movie production because her dad was starring in it. He must have been glaring at her pretty intensely, because she glanced over and caught his eye, and suddenly she wasn’t smiling so much.

Again, Annabeth sensed the hostility in the room. Trying to salvage the day again, she asked lightly, “Jason, don’t you think it’s cool that you’d be able to intern here if you wanted to?”

He was still pretty peeved, his whole body feeling warmer than usual, and it wasn’t because he had been blushing previously. He wished he had it just as easy as Piper McLean did, but naturally God or the universe or whatever was up there decided _fuck it_ when creating his life, since all he got was an alcoholic for a mom and a sorry excuse for a dad. _Nice_. Not bothering to hide his distaste, he said, “I can think of other cool things to do with my free time.”

He hated to admit it, but when Piper’s face fell, he didn’t feel too bad.

Frank, clearly uncomfortable, chimed in. “Well, not everyone would want to work on a movie set. I think it’s just what people are interested in. Right?”

“Right!” Annabeth agreed quickly. “Jason’s never been too interested in the arts. He’s into sports and school. I just thought it was cool.”

“Right.” Piper was clearly upset over Jason’s comment, but she seemed to shake it off. “Anyways, I’m sorry for barging in on your conversation. I was just going to ask Frank if he wanted to go get some food with me.” She glanced at Frank with an apologetic smile. “There’s very limited vegetarian options for me, and I know there’s a place a few blocks away that have more choices.”

“Well, I kind of have to,” Frank joked, and Piper laughed. Jason hated how pretty her laugh was when he was trying not to indulge in her lifestyle. “Let’s go.”

“It was nice meeting you, Annabeth.” Piper waved as she started walking away. Her brown eyes focused on Jason. “See you around, Jason.” She walked off, Frank beside her.

Annabeth turned to Jason, eyebrows furrowed. “You were not very nice.”

“I didn’t mean to be,” Jason muttered, looking at his feet, but he knew that was a lie. He had tried to be mean. He was so angry over what his life turned out to be on top of his less than pleasant childhood that it was hard to be around someone given the same circumstances as him thrive while he was struggling. It was kind of sadistic, but seeing her hurt over his blunt comments was gratifying. Yeah, he felt bad because he knew she didn’t deserve it, but again, it was overrode by all the bitterness that was built up within him.

She gaped at him, seemingly at a loss for words, which was unlike her; she was usually the one to never run out of things to say. “This isn’t like you,” she finally said. “I understand that this is hard for you, but it doesn’t give you a free pass to act like an ass to every famous girl you know. She was nothing but nice to you and you still went out of your way to act cold. I get it, you’re angry with your mom and your past and your life in general, but Piper McLean is _not_ the person you should be lashing out at.”

She was right. She was always right. Still, he felt the anger welling up, felt the emotion like poison practically frothing from his mouth. “Sorry.”

“Unbelievable,” Annabeth breathed, shaking her head. She turned to walk away, but then stopped. They locked eyes, and she said simply, “Your douche act was kind of ruined by the fact that you were blushing.”

And then Jason was alone, feeling more bitter than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY THEY HAVE MET and yes i know it was a rocky beginning but i swear eventually they will be civil...... eventually
> 
> also for those who don't know (that'd be everyone) the chapter names are song lyrics from random songs! some will be easy to identify, others won't, but o well, if you recognize them that's cool, if not that's also cool
> 
> if you like this, please give me feedback, i love hearing what you guys think! thanks to the people who have given me their love, it's always appreciated!
> 
> as always, follow me on tumblr, @jasonsmclean for more pjo crap (lots of jasiper there!)


	4. Maybe That Makes Me a Fool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason Grace is an ass, Piper is sure of that much. She's also pretty sure that she's never seen anyone as attractive as him.

It was honestly insulting how much a boy could affect Piper.

Okay, sometimes when people were mean, it made her upset. There were plenty of those people— the ones on social media who disliked her for whatever reason were especially awful. Being somewhat famous guaranteed rude people. It had taken her a long time to overcome the fact that some people would hate her for reasons out of her control, and she had to accept that she was susceptible to hate. Now she was better at handling bitter fans and didn’t take it to heart so much anymore.

She just didn’t expect someone like Jason Grace to treat her with such a lack of kindness.

His mom was famous as well, so he must have been in the same boat as her. Growing up in Hollywood wasn’t easy, and she had struggled for years to finally accept who her parents were and for her to adjust to her life. He must have had some sympathy for her. Yet his sentences were short, and he hardly looked at her. His personality should have been a dealbreaker. She could’ve turned a cold shoulder rather than being nice, but she knew that his mom had gone through a lot in the past few years, so she didn’t want to judge his character just on one interaction.

Plus (she hated herself for using this fact to give him the benefit of the doubt) he was cute. Infuriatingly, unfairly, insultingly cute. Blond hair that looked as soft as down, eyes as blue as the sky, and a jawline that could cut granite. When he had attempted a smile at her, it had looked better than any smile she could make on a good day.

_God, Piper, when did you become such a fucking sap?_

Shaking her head, she tried to shake the thought of Jason Grace out of her head.

It was Friday, the fifth day she was on set. She was grabbing coffee in between scenes for her and her dad, trying not to yawn. She enjoyed sleeping in, and the past week she had been unable to. Usually Frank kept her awake since they talked quite a bit, but he had decided to go to Seattle with his dad for a few days. When she rounded the corner to the last door before the set, she saw something that made her day.

“Who let you guys on set?” she laughed, shaking her head lightly.

Percy grinned, walking over and throwing an arm around her shoulders. “My mom wanted to stop by and see your dad. She wanted to tell you herself, but another book of hers is becoming a movie so she wanted to talk to him about being in this one too.”

“That’s so amazing!” Piper exclaimed, grinning. “Glad she dragged you along.”

“Correction,” Leo chimed in. “We asked to come along. You’ve been MIA these past few days. How’s the show biz, baby?” He took the coffee cup from her hand, taking a sip.

“Hectic. Interesting, to say the least. At least this’ll make me look good for college,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s weird to see my dad in this context. I never spent a lot of time with him while he was filming, so I only ever saw the movie in its finished form. But now I can actually see him working, which is cool.”

“Any cute Hollywood boys on set?” Percy teased. “Or girls?”

 _Only one_. “Not really.” She shrugged again, opening the door to lead them back onto the set. Lunch had begun, and she could see Percy’s mom talking to her dad. “Nobody here is my age.”

Leo scoffed. “Nothing wrong with liking older people.”

“That’s called pedophilia, Leo,” Percy said casually, which made Piper burst out laughing.

“Huh.” Leo didn’t even comment on Percy’s joke. His gaze was elsewhere, and he smirked. “Nobody our age, really? What about them?”

When Piper saw who he was looking at, her stomach dropped.

Even from several feet away, there was no mistaking Annabeth’s curls for anybody else. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail today, wearing a Stanford shirt and ripped jeans. She was talking to her mom, who was a carbon copy of her daughter except for the fact that her hair was dark, tied up in a tight bun.

But Annabeth was nice. It was who stood beside Annabeth that made Piper want to vanish.

There he was— Jason Grace. The blue shirt he was wearing made the natural redness in his cheeks more noticeable, creeping up past his cheekbones until there was rosiness to the tips of his ears. His hair was effortlessly perfect, that damn scar on his lip moving each time he opened his mouth to speak. He seemed completely at ease, lacking the stiffness he had been displaying a few days prior when he had been a closed-off dick to her. When Annabeth said something to him (undecipherable from where Piper stood), Jason broke out into a dazzling smile, and he threw his head back as he began laughing. The sound was music to her ears, and she could feel heat arising within her. She hoped that she wasn’t blushing, because that would give away the fact she found him cute. From this perspective, Jason Grace seemed to be a genuinely nice (and attractive) guy.

“Nobody,” Piper answered, but right when she said that, Athena walked away. Annabeth’s eyes wandered until she saw Piper and waved.

“Nobody, huh?” Percy asked, giving Piper a sideways glance before his eyes settled on Annabeth. “She’s coming over.”

Sure enough, Annabeth was walking over, and, much to Piper’s surprise, so was Jason. He didn’t look half as welcoming as he did when he was with Annabeth, but he wasn’t sulking, which must have been a positive thing.

“Hey, Piper!” Annabeth greeted with a grin. “I was hoping I’d see you.”

“I didn’t think you were going to come back so soon,” Piper responded with a small smile. She tried her hardest not to allow her eyes to flicker to Jason, but it was so hard when he stood so close to Annabeth. Percy cleared his throat, quiet enough so only she could hear, which prompted her to gesture to her friends. “These are my best friends, Percy and Leo.” She then gestured to the blondes. “Guys, this is Annabeth and Jason.”

Jason hardly made eye contact with Percy and Leo. “Hey,” he said simply, sounding uninterested. Piper saw the look her friends exchanged. _Can you believe this guy?_ Even Annabeth looked a little annoyed, and Jason shoved his hands in his pockets, looking anywhere but in the direction of where Piper stood.

_Of course. Once an ass, always an ass._

“Nice to meet you.” Annabeth stuck her hand out, and Piper could see Percy staring at her a little too intently. “Are you guys interning with Piper as well?”

Leo shook his head. “Nah. We all met on the set of _The Harrowing Maze_. My mom works with special effects and Percy’s mom is Sally Jackson.”

“You’re kidding.” Annabeth’s eyes widened. “I’ve read her books so many times. She’s amazing.”

Percy got a dumbfounded look on his face, and Piper recognized the look immediately— he thought Annabeth was attractive. He only looked this way when he saw a cute girl or guy.

“She’s actually on set now,” Piper said, saving Percy from an awkward silence since his attraction often trumped his vocal abilities. “Talking to my dad.”

“You’re kidding!” Annabeth repeated.

“That movie was my dad’s first blockbuster.” Piper playfully pushed Percy, who nearly fell over since he was still looking at Annabeth. “And from then on, we were all friends.”

Annabeth’s eyes flickered to Percy’s form, and she bobbed her once slightly, so subtle that it took Piper a moment to realize that it was a nod. “Are you going to be on set with Piper more often?” she asked.

“Uh…” Percy cleared his throat. “I mean, yeah. I can. I work a lot, but I have plenty of breaks where I can swing by. I guess I have to since she’ll be leaving me in a few weeks.”

When Annabeth looked confused, Piper jumped in. “I’m going to Europe with my mom next month. We’re going to France and Italy.”

“Are you going to Rome?”

Several moments passed and Piper realized it was Jason who spoke. She settled her gaze on him, noticing how his body was slightly angled towards her, head tilted to the tiniest degree in wonder, and for once, his voice lacked the hostility she had heard when they met.

“Yeah,” she answered. “Rome and Florence are our two stops.”

Jason seemed to forget to be an asshole for the time being. He grinned, and she could tell that it wasn’t forced. “That’s awesome. Rome is on my bucket list.”

She was staring at him for a moment too long, trying to memorize his features when he wasn’t in a bad mood— his eyebrows arched over his eyes, and he looked friendly enough to be a Starbucks barista. (Piper had a weak spot for cute Starbucks baristas.)

Her staring must have been too obvious, because he glanced away, jaw tense, looking over at Annabeth. “Hey, I’m gonna head out. If you see my mom, will you tell her goodbye for me?”

“I guess—” Annabeth didn’t even finish her sentence before Jason turned away. He weaved through the crowd of set workers, vanishing into the throng of people. The blonde shook her head, looking apologetic. “I’m really sorry about him.”

Leo’s eyebrows were pulled together in annoyance. “Is he always that abrupt?” he asked.

Annabeth winced. “Not usually. He’s going through a rough time, if you can imagine.”

“Unfortunately we can,” Percy said with a frown. “It’s not like the media is withholding information about his mom.”

“Yeah.” Annabeth looked troubled, glancing over her shoulder as to see if her best friend was still there. “He just needs to adjust. He’s a really good guy, I swear. This isn’t like him at all.”

Piper looked at her feet. Her body was still warm, her body’s involuntary reaction when she saw Jason. It was frustrating; she had hardly spoken to the guy but she wished she could sit down and have a conversation with him. She wasn’t friends with kids of parents in the industry, so nobody could fully relate to how she was feeling on any given day. Sure, there was Percy, as his mom was a famous author who gained even more momentum with the movie adaption of _The Harrowing Maze_ , but Percy wasn’t always recognized by the paparazzi. The media knew about him because he was friends with her, and the same held true to Leo. But Jason was like her since his mom was a bonafide Hollywood actress. He had grown up under Hollywood’s watchful eye, yet somehow managed to stay hidden for years to the point that Piper wasn’t aware of his existence. Despite his absence from the spotlight, his upbringing had to be similar to hers. There had to be some reason he was so closed off. Everyone handled this forced fame differently, and he wasn’t handling his with grace (pun certainly intended). His life was hard, but that didn’t give him an excuse to be a dick.

“Yeah, well, not the greatest first impression.” Percy’s voice was dry. “At least we met one nice person here today.”

Was it Piper’s imagination, or was Annabeth blushing? “You’re only saying that because you just met me.”

Percy laugher, shaking his head. “Of course not. Okay, well, maybe I don’t know you too well, but you’re definitely nicer than your friend.”

This time it was Piper and Leo who exchanged a look. The last time Percy had been this flirtatious had been during their last party of the school year and he had run into a cute boy. That had not ended so well as the cute boy had been painfully straight, and the night ended with Percy drunk out of his mind and nearly puking in the back of the Uber. While this seemed to be going well, Piper still remembered how messy this flirty stage could become.

Annabeth looked like she was going to respond, but her phone went off, and she glanced at the screen. Her smile went away, and she glanced up. “Hey, I’m sorry, but I’ve got a… situation,” she sighed. “I’ve got to head out. But it was really nice to meet you, Percy. And Leo,” she added as an afterthought. She smiled at Piper. “I’m sure I’ll be back on set sometime soon.”

“Yeah, of course. Catch you later,” Piper said, grinning as the blonde quickly left. She elbowed Percy, who was staring after Annabeth with a dreamy expression. “You’ve got a little drool there.”

“Piss off.” Percy turned a glorious shade of pink, glancing down at her. “We just met. Nothing wrong with being friendly.”

“ _Friendly?_ You were stripping her with your eyes,” Leo laughed, causing Percy to scowl and blush even darker. “She was cool. But that Jason guy is a complete tool.”

Percy looked at Piper this time. “He was a dick. I can’t believe you have the hots for him.”

“I don’t!” Piper retorted, but her voice sounded strained. When her friends gave her an exasperated look, she surrendered. “He’s cute, so what? I’m allowed to think someone’s attractive yet be completely repulsed by their personality.”

“The last time you stared at someone like that, it was to Reyna,” Leo joined in. “You have it bad.”

Reyna was Piper’s last crush— she attended the private school they attended. Piper was pretty sure Reyna was at least bisexual, but then she had moved to San Francisco in the middle of last year. It was tragic, and Leo was right since Jason was the first person who Piper found this attractive since Reyna.

“He’s a dick, so it’s never going to happen,” Piper said flatly. “He’s a stereotypical angry white boy. I’ll get over it.”

Percy and Leo exchanged another look, and the message was clear: _No she won’t_.

Even if she didn’t get over it, she could sure as hell try, because there was no way she would fawn over someone who was an asshole to her. And at this rate, Jason Grace would never be nice to her. She was certain of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am so sorry these first few chapters are short as h*ck but i swear once chapter 6 hits they will actually be of decent length
> 
> also i've already written up to chapter 16 (i literally have no clue HOW i have just been writing super fast) and i know my update dates are saturdays but i'm considering making it every wednesday and saturday??? let me know if you want the chapters to come more frequently
> 
> as always follow me on tumblr @jasonsmclean !


	5. Don't Be That Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason tells himself that he's going to be a better person. He's not the only one to do so.

Jason hadn’t felt so distant in a long time. He tried to remember a time when he felt so detached from his own life, and he could only think of a few instances where he felt so unlike himself— there was when he saw his mother drunk for the first time, when his dad stopped hanging around the house, when Thalia moved out, when he was sent to boarding school, when he found out about his dad’s affairs, when his mom was sent to rehab for the last time, and now.

He wasn’t acting like himself and he knew it. Annabeth acknowledged it and chastised him for it numerous times. He was trying to adjust, trying to accept the fact that his mom found real joy in acting. And it was true; he couldn’t remember the last time his mom was as happy as she was while filming. It had been over a decade since she had been this content with her life, and sober, for that matter. He was trying his hardest to be happy for her, but her happiness had a cost— Jason’s normalcy and his privacy.

It wasn’t just his mom’s new gig that was wrecking his life. Annabeth was leaving in August for Stanford, and although he was so excited for her to start a new life, he felt as if he was going to be left alone. His family wasn’t really his family, except for Thalia, but she had her band, so she didn’t have the time or resources to let her younger brother live with her for his senior year. Again, he shouldn’t have been angry, but there was the tiniest bit of anger towards his sister since she picked her band over him. He loved his school, yet there was a tiny feeling inside him that prompted him to think about this next year. Boarding school was meant to keep him away from his father’s multiple affairs and mother’s drunken antics, and now he was weeks away from turning eighteen. Was boarding school necessary? The reasoning behind him going to the school was that his mom was too drunk to notice that he was gone and his dad didn’t give two shits if he was there or not. He was torn between wanting his old life back, the one where he was sent away and could pretend that his family was a huge mess, and trying to accept that his new life had a more stable family status yet it stripped him of his private life.

He was thinking about all the things that were weighing him down, trying hard not to scream or cry or break things when the door swung open. He didn’t move, keeping his eyes shut tightly as his arms tightened around the pillow he was clutching to his chest. He didn’t react when a hand brushed through his hair lightly.

“You know, when I gave you a spare key, I didn’t think you’d come here to sulk when I wasn’t home,” Annabeth said lightly. When Jason gave her a dirty look, she frowned. “Jason, why’d you leave?”

“I didn't want to be there.” He shrugged, rolling onto his back to get a better look at his best friend. He felt bad, because she seemed to genuinely enjoy visiting the set, but he felt so angry that he sent her a text to tell her to come home so he wouldn’t have to be alone. “I can’t… I can’t _handle_ this, Annabeth.”

Her grey eyes betrayed nothing. This was one thing he didn’t quite enjoy about her— when she wanted to maintain a poker face, she could, and it was so well perfected that even he couldn’t decipher what she was thinking. “I don’t understand. Your mom is happy for the first time in ages. She’s sober. Ever since you understood what alcoholism was, you wanted her to recover more than anything. This is what you wanted. So I don’t get any of this. I don’t get you.”

“Do you think _I_ understand myself?” he shot back, watching as her eyebrows shot up in surprise at his tone. “I just… This isn’t the life I want. I can’t go into public without running into a stupid photographer who sells my pictures to trashy tabloids and tries to narrate my life. My mom’s recovery has been hell as it is, and it’s worse because everyone with internet access can also be updated on her sobriety. Oh, and you can’t forget Dad. I’ve seen him _once_ in the past week. He was the one who sent me away. He didn’t want to take care of me while my mom was too busy getting hammered nightly to dress me or feed me. So, yeah, my home life might be better, but it’s too late. All my secrets are out in the open. Nothing about my life is private anymore. _Nothing_. I had years where no one gave me a second thought because my mom did nothing but stay home. That’s all changed now. I don’t understand how people can genuinely enjoy having fame, like, forced onto them. It’s disgusting.”

Annabeth stayed quiet for a moment. He could tell that she was processing his words, taking in each sentence he had just spat out. Finally, after several heartbeats of silence, she said, “That’s why you don’t like Piper McLean.”

“How does Piper McLean have anything to do with this?” Jason asked bitterly.

“Your behavior is embarrassing whenever you’re around her. You swallow your pride around your mom and manage to act civil around her, but _Piper_?” Annabeth shook her head. “You make it your mission to be a passive aggressive asshole to her. You’re jealous that she has a good life even though her parents are famous.”

“I don’t care about Piper McLean,” he retorted. “She doesn't matter in this situation. She doesn’t have anything to do with how I feel.”

Annabeth’s jaw tensed, and he saw her nostrils flaring. “I’m sorry that your life has been so awful that you feel the need to act out around her.”

Jason could see the anger and betrayal written all over his best friend’s face. The negativity was practically radiating off of her. He could feel his own anger dissipate, and his body relaxed. He hated making Annabeth upset. They rarely ever fought, and he knew that her frustration was justified; his own bitterness towards his situation was making him lash out towards everyone, including her. He stopped holding in the anger in that moment. She must have sensed this because her jaw became slack and she hunched her shoulders.

“I’m trying,” he whispered, and she grabbed his hand. “I really am. I just don’t recognize my life anymore.”

“I’m your best friend, Jason,” she mumbled. “I’ve known you for most of my life. I will help you get used to this, but you need to learn how to not lash out. People are going to think you’re an asshole.”

He couldn’t help it— he cracked a smile. “What, are you telling me I’m not usually this much of a dick?” he teased weakly.

She rolled her eyes. “Not even close.” She lied on her back beside him, her shoulder pressed against his. “I know this sounds stupid because my parents aren’t famous, but I think the media is manageable.”

He glanced over at her, noticing her thoughtful expression. “You think so?”

“I mean…” She hesitated. “I don’t know. If I had to choose between dealing with paparazzi and tabloids or having my mom continue to doubt me, I’d pick the paparazzi.”

His fingers tightened around hers, trying to comfort her. She squeezed his fingers back. “She doesn’t doubt you. You’re going to Stanford.”

“Yeah, I guess.” She sounded exhausted. “I don’t know. Your mom is happy. You can’t be pessimistic and focus on the media. You’re a good guy. Like it or not, you’re kind of famous. You have to learn how to deal with it.”

“I know you’re right,” he admitted sourly. “I just don’t know how.”

Annabeth shrugged. “For starters, you can stop being so mean.”

“No guarantees,” he answered and began laughing when she smacked him with a pillow. “I’ll try, okay? I’ll try.”

“That’s all I can ask for.” She smiled. “Thank you.”

“Eh, don’t thank me.” He really didn’t want to continue talking about the topic, so he smirked, giving her a sideways look. “Subject change. I totally saw you checking out that Percy guy today on set.”

Annabeth’s face turned scarlet, and she stammered out something incoherent. “I was _not_!” she protested.

“You’re a horrible liar!” Jason laughed, ducking his head as she chucked another pillow at him. “Hey, hey, calm down. My lips are sealed. I won’t tell anyone about how you have the hots for some complete stranger.”

Groaning, Annabeth covered her face. “I’m so screwed,” she mumbled into her hands. “And his mom is one of my all-time favorite authors. This is like… my own personal hell.”

“Just talk to the guy,” Jason suggested. “You have the means to get his number.”

“You are _not_ in the right mindset to be giving _me_ advice,” she shot back, glaring at him as she lowered her hands. He would’ve been tricked into thinking she was being serious if not for her flushed cheeks and twitching lips, trying to withhold a smile. “I’ll only listen to you if you start behaving yourself.”

It was his turn to groan. “I already promised that I’d try to be civil, Annabeth.”

“Okay, then we have a deal. You try to be civil, and when I see actual change, maybe I’ll talk to Percy,” she said simply, giving him a pointed look. “Deal?”

Her hand was extended. He took it firmly and they shook on it. “Deal.”

* * *

The only reason he showed up to set on Monday was because he promised Annabeth he would try to accept his life as it was. It seemed to be fate that his mom forgot her wallet, so when lunch rolled around, he was walking into the studio, her wallet in hand.

He didn’t spend much time with his mom, since she was busy talking to the author, Hades Costas, since he stopped by to see how filming was going. She seemed excited to see her son, and he didn’t feel so angry around her. But Jason knew at any given moment, his emotions would best him, so he had a strategy— baby steps. He would spend time with his mom, and maybe eventually he could recover from his broken childhood that stemmed from her disease.

After wishing his mom a good rest of her day, he walked towards the lobby when he saw her. Piper McLean. Seeing her reminded him of Annabeth’s lecture, and he wanted to say hi, but every time he saw her face, the bitterness welled back up inside him.

 _It’s unfair_ , he thought, studying how her dark hair hung down her back, how nice her brown skin looked in the baby blue shirt she was wearing. _Her parents are famous too, but her life has never been as messy as mine. She doesn’t seem to mind the paparazzi at all. How did she turn out okay and I’m all messed up?_

He tried to walk faster, but it was too late. Her warm brown eyes settled on him, and for a moment, she looked genuinely shocked. He couldn’t blame her reaction; he clearly showed his dislike for the set, yet kept reappearing there. The shock didn’t last long, and she smiled kindly at him, waving.

_How can she still manage to be so nice when all I’ve done is disrespect her?_

Without acknowledging her, he made his way to the lobby. He slowed down now, leisurely taking out the keys to his Jeep. It took him only moments to push open the heavy door to the parking lot, feeling himself relax. He told Annabeth that he would try not to be so rude just because he couldn’t handle his own emotions, so he tried— he dodged the situation.

He was almost free.

“What’s your _problem_?”

The voice met his ears just as he was approaching his Jeep. He froze, his blood seemingly dropping in temperature. He _knew_ that voice. The bitterness and envy rose up again. Turning around slowly, he met those brown eyes, but they were nowhere near warm. They were absolutely blazing, yet the hurt was unmistakable.

Piper McLean stood in front of him, hands balled up into fists. She was a head shorter than him though he doubted that would matter; if she wanted to, she could probably kick his ass into next week. And he couldn’t even blame her if she did that.

He didn’t answer in a timely fashion, so she spoke again. “What’s your problem?” she repeated. “I’ve literally only met you three times, and every time I’ve been nothing but kind to you. Yet you treat me like complete and utter shit. I would ask what I’ve done to make you so angry, but I know for a fact I’ve done _nothing_ to deserve this. So let me ask you one more time. _What’s your problem?_ ”

His throat felt dry, and for once, he wasn’t angry. All he could feel was envy and regret. The conversation with Annabeth rang in his ears. _That’s why you don’t like Piper McLean._ Annabeth was right; Piper had a good life, accepted the fact she was forced into fame by her parents, and she didn’t shy away from this life even though she didn’t ask for it. She was everything that Jason wished he could be, except there were a million things that prevented him from achieving the mindset.

Snapping back to reality, he noticed how Piper’s knuckles were turning white. “I don’t deserve this,” she informed him matter-of-factly. If he didn’t feel so envious of her, he probably would have swooned over the confident edge in her voice. “I get it, being a kid of someone famous is hard. We’ve all been there. Life can fucking suck, trust me. But there aren’t many of us in this boat, Jason. I thought if anyone would understand, it’d be you.”

He shook his head. “I get that our parents are famous, but we’re not in the same boat.”

“Okay, so my mom isn’t a recovering alcoholic. That is awful, and I am so sorry that yours is.” The sympathy burned in her words, yet there was still the bluntness of her anger. “Having everyone know your business sucks. My life isn’t as shitty as yours, but that isn’t my fault. It’s unfair of you to treat me badly because I have no control over that aspect. I get it, we’re not friends. Even though we’re not friends, you don’t have a right to treat me like crap.”

He exhaled. “I know. I was chewed out yesterday by Annabeth. And as awful as I may seem, I’m not that bad. I’m just… processing.”

“Process things better.” Piper’s tone was icy, causing chills to run up Jason’s spine. “I have enough people who hate me for no reason. I don’t want to add my dad’s costar’s son to the list.”

Gritting his teeth, he muttered out, “ _Dad’s costar’s son_. Nice.”

Suddenly she was right in front of him. She was staring directly up, her nose just inches from his. She was so close that he could smell the faint scent of honeysuckle enveloping her, could see the few stray freckles scattered along her cheekbones and cheeks.

“Get over yourself, Jason Grace,” she hissed out. The proximity made him realize that her cheeks were flushed, assumedly from anger. “Life is hard, you end up trapped in a life you don’t want, but guess what? Common human decency should still be a priority. I know that you hate me because my dad handled fame well while your mom didn’t, and again, I am _really_ sorry that your mom’s an alcoholic. You just need to realize that I am the least of your problems. You may claim that we’re not in the same boat, but we are. We’re both kids with a parent in Hollywood and we should depend on each other. But you can’t recover from whatever shit you went through back when you vanished from the media, and instead of dealing with your issues, you pin them on me, which is some whack defense mechanism. Just… Jason, stop. Be nice. I get that it’s hard to be kind when your life is falling apart, but maybe next time you’re a dick, you can apologize for yourself instead of having Annabeth do that for you.” He could feel his stomach drop to his feet, and all he wanted to do was collapse into a puddle of shame because she was dissecting his issues right there in the studio parking lot. He opened his mouth to respond to her, to say anything (because to be frank, he had no reply to her), but she beat him to the punch. “Get off your high horse and treat me with some damn respect. You know where to find me when you decide not to lash out.”

Piper McLean whirled around, and when her hair swayed, he could another whiff of honeysuckle. Her small hands were no longer balled up into fists, but her body language made it clear that she was still angry. She made her way back to the front door of the studio, and then she was gone. Jason remained still, shell-shocked.

Honestly, it was what he deserved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know this chapter still was mostly exposition, but by the end the drama finally picks up, so i'm happy to say that the plot is moving forward! and on saturday's update, it'll keep getting better.
> 
> i've finally decided a place to end this and just a warning now it's pretty long. the last chapter will be 27 since the chapters are pretty short overall. hopefully with biweekly updates this won't drag on forever. plus i have another story in mind that i hope to get off the ground soon and you guys won't be ready for it.
> 
> as always, thank you to everyone who has been reading! i appreciate the hell out of you. follow me on tumblr (@jasonsmclean) for more of my content!


	6. Looking At Me So Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper isn't a huge opponent until the paparazzi... until now.

It was four in the morning when Piper’s phone started to ring.

Groaning, she tried to ignore it. The alerts stopped after a few moments, but within seconds her phone was ringing again. Irritated over who could be calling her twice in a row at four in the morning, she squinted at the bright screen. She cursed under her breath, holding the phone to her ear.

“What do you want, Percy?” she asked, rubbing her eyes, which stung after staring at her bright screen.

“Media alert,” he answered immediately, and she frowned. He called her when paparazzi got pictures of her, which usually wasn’t a big deal. Sometimes he’d call her because he had to laugh over how ridiculous she looked at a certain angle, or he’d brag about how pap pictures with him in it gained him more Instagram and Twitter follows. Media alerts were not out of the ordinary. Calling at four in the morning was.

“It’s _four._ On a _Tuesday,_ ” she told him, making sure to sound just as tired as she felt. “Does that mean anything to you?”

“Jesus, I wouldn’t call you if it wasn’t important!” Percy sounded impatient. “Go onto Twitter. Now.”

Muttering out more curses, she put him on speaker, eyelids heavy as she opened Twitter. Since she had several thousand followers, her notifications were off, so there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary. “What am I supposed to be searching up?”

“Go to trending,” Percy ordered.

 _Trending? Okay_. Piper tried not to jump to conclusions. Why on earth would she be trending on Twitter? Her paparazzi shots sometimes got a lot of attention, but never enough to be trending worldwide. It wasn’t like she had been out in the town lately since all she seemed to do was hang out at the studio. Maybe the paparazzi had caught her with Hazel? (She had just met Hazel yesterday afternoon— she was the the daughter of the author of _Sent From Heaven_. They hung out on set the rest of the day and ended up hitting it off so well that they went and got smoothies from a little corner juicery just a block away from the studio. But she hadn’t seen any photographers.) She clicked the trending button, waiting for it to load. Her eyes skimmed through the trends until she read one that made her heart stop in her chest.

**_Piper McLean and Jason Grace._ **

There were dozens of paparazzi shots, and from the angle they had been taken at created a whole different scene, an alternate reality from what had really occurred. Someone had caught them arguing, except it certainly didn’t look like arguing. The pictures were taken from behind Piper, and Jason’s face was partially blocked by her head. They looked like any stereotypical couple trying to get a sense of privacy, nestled away on the side of his Jeep. Had she been _that_ close to him while talking some sense into him?

TMZ had released an article, creating some vague story about their ‘secret romance’. Apparently they had met months ago (lie number one), and instantly hit it off (lie number two). Now, the tabloid reported, they were inseparable thanks to _Sent From Heaven._ Since TMZ was obviously such a reliable source (sarcasm intended), all other media outlets and magazines were confirming the relationship as well.

“Pipes?” Percy’s worried voice broke her from her reverie. “You still with me?”

“I’m so fucked,” she whispered, scrolling through the endless Tweets about her and Jason. “I am so, so, _so_ fucked.”

“Hey.” Percy’s tone was comforting and she tried to stay calm as she listened to him. “You know how the tabloids can manipulate pictures. They see any potential heterosexual pair and create a bullshit relationship out of it. They did it with us and we got through it.”

She took a steadying breath. Rumors usually didn’t affect her, but this one was hitting too close to home. The media was now convinced she was dating _Jason Grace,_ a person who despised her for things out of her control. If the rumors had revolved around any other person, she would be okay. She could only imagine Jason’s reaction when he discovered the rumors. He would probably never get over his grudge against her.

“It had to be with someone who hates me,” she mumbled, stumbling upon the Tweets from teenage girls who fawned over the pictures. _They look so cute together! They compliment each other so well!_ “This is fantastic.”

“Hey,” Percy repeated, still sounding calm. “Relax. Go to sleep for a few more hours. When you wake up, your dad will call Mellie and everything will be okay. You guys will fix this.”

It was stupid, but she felt like she had to cry. She had been so angry, so hurt that she couldn’t stop herself from following Jason out into the parking lot. She should have been more cautious, should not stepped so close to him. A dating rumor wasn’t the worst thing in the world considering that she had actually been yelling at him (the last thing she needed was for the world to think she was a horrible person), but he was already so bitter over the whole paparazzi thing that she was screwed regardless.

“Piper?” Percy sounded worried again when she didn’t reply. “If he gives you hell, I’ll kick his ass for you. I swear to god, he better not treat you like shit for something that the paparazzi did.”

Laughing weakly, Piper inhaled to keep her emotions at bay. “If you did that, Annabeth would never give you the time of day again.”

“Oh, stop it.” Percy was smiling, she could hear it in his voice. “I know this seems like a mess right now, but it’ll turn out okay. It always does.”

“Okay.” Piper clutched the phone a little tighter, still feeling an uneasiness within her. She was certain that eventually this would blow over, but the rumors loomed over her like an approaching storm. “Percy?”

“Yeah?”

She hesitated. “Will you stay on the phone with me until I fall asleep?”

He chuckled. She asked him to do this sometimes when she was upset or overwhelmed. Sometimes he’d made a snide comment, like _McLean, you’re such a baby_ , but tonight all he said was, “Of course.”

Putting her phone beside her pillow, she curled up in a ball on her side, trying to forget about the pictures and the articles and praying to whatever higher power was out there that Jason hadn’t seen the pictures yet. She wasn’t religious, but there had to be some authority figure who could hear her pleading and have some kind of control over what happened.

“Goodnight, Pipes,” Percy whispered.

“Goodnight.” Piper squeezed her eyes shut, and even though she had been exhausted just moments before, it took a long time for her to fall back asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Piper was awoken to the smell of pancakes and coffee. When she was initially fighting off her sleepiness, her mind was clear, and her stomach growled because _fuck, the pancakes smell amazing._ It took a few moments for her stomach to drop and her chest to tighten up because she remembered Percy’s phone call.

Not able to resist herself, she went onto her phone to check social media. Twitter was still blowing up with the paparazzi shots, even more media outlets and reporters chiming in. She had a bitter taste in her mouth, and it wasn’t because she had morning breath. She felt genuinely sick to her stomach. The fact was that she was okay with these kinds of rumors, while Jason was not.

After brushing her teeth, she made her way downstairs, where there was a seemingly endless supply of food. She started to make a beeline for the counter, choosing to acknowledge her hunger rather than focus on the Jason situation, stopping in her tracks when she saw her father sitting with Mellie and another woman with dark hair.

Mellie was one of her father’s agents, specializing in publicity. She often did damage control, or helped clear up any inaccurate articles. As Piper got older and media attention turned to her, Mellie started to help her out as well. The dark-haired women turned to look upon hearing Piper’s footsteps, and the grey eyes were a dead giveaway— it was Athena Chase, Beryl’s agent. Piper was suddenly overly aware that she was wearing an _Adventure Time_ shirt and polka-dotted pajama shorts in the midst of two very powerful agents.

“Good morning, Pipes.” Her father gave her a smile, and he looked too calm for the situation they were currently in. “Sit down. Eat.”

She shuffled over, hauling herself onto the tall stools at the kitchen island. Nobody spoke or even moved as she filled her plate with pancakes and strawberries, pouring syrup over the fluffy cakes. As she began to eat, her father poured her a mug of coffee.

“Sweetheart.” Mellie smiled warmly, her ice blue eyes filled with kindness. “I’m sure you know why Athena and I are here.”

Nodding, Piper swallowed her bite of pancakes. “Yeah,” she murmured, staring intently at her pancakes. She was afraid that if she glanced up, she would be forced to tell them the true story behind the photos and again be reminded that Jason hated her guts, which bugged her more than she wanted to admit.

“Is there anything you want to tell us?” Athena asked. She wasn’t as kind or as patient as Mellie since she was all business. It was understandable though, considering that she was Beryl’s longtime agent and had to handle the press when Beryl relapsed and went to rehab numerous times. There was no way Athena could have a soft skin after years of damage control.

Finally, Piper willed herself to look up. Both agents looked curious, leaning forward as if anticipating some long, heartfelt confession. Her father looked worried instead, the lines around his eyes more noticeable as he stared intently as his daughter. To appease them, she said, “We’re not dating. I know this sounds cliché, but it’s not what it looks like.”

Mellie and Athena exchanged a skeptical look.

“I swear!” Piper insisted. “Jason and I… haven’t been getting along,” she admitted. “He isn’t a fan of this lifestyle and understandably butts heads with me because I enjoy my life. We’ve met three times now, _three_. We’re not even friends.”

“Then how did these pictures occur?” Athena asked, holding up her phone. There was another picture, and although it was slightly blurry, there was no mistaking how close the two were. Piper winced, remembering how blue his eyes were, how there were freckles across the bridge of his nose. That’s how close she had been.

“We were arguing,” she admitted, looking back to her pancakes. The syrup had been absorbed, and now they looked soggy, not that she minded; Percy always put too much syrup on his pancakes and they ate them regardless of how soggy they were. “He was being rude again, so I called him out on it.”

“I believe you, honey.” Mellie gave Piper a comforting smile. “Unfortunately, you know how the media is. They take these photos and make a story out of them.”

Piper nodded. They hadn’t mentioned Jason at all, and she was growing more worried with each passing second. “Does Jason…” Her throat closed up, and she couldn’t bring herself to finish the question that was burning within her.

“He knows.” Athena didn’t look so bothered, which might have been a good sign. “He said the same thing as you, but—” She paused, looking at Mellie for a moment. “Well, you said it for yourself, you two have been butting heads. He isn’t very welcoming of his newfound fame, so I wasn’t sure if he was lying or not since he wants to stay under the radar.”

“Of course.” Piper nodded. She felt a little more calm, although she was still more anxious than she felt comfortable with. If Jason was flipping shit, Athena would have told her. “What do I do?”

Her dad came into the conversation at this point. “Pipes, you know tabloids. Even if you deny the rumors, they’ll accuse you of lying and be even more desperate to catch you two together.”

Mellie nodded. “This is a very delicate situation. You’re naturally a coveted target for paparazzi especially with the movie in production. But Jason is a whole other story. He was kept in the dark for so long, and now that his mom is sober, they’re trying to dig up all the information they can on him. Dating rumors with his mom’s costar’s daughter is the perfect ploy.”

“I think you two just need to stay quiet,” Athena continued. “Mellie and I agreed this would be the best.”

“Quiet? Okay. I can do that.” Piper nodded. It wasn’t like she spoke to the paparazzi anyways. This would be easy.

“And…” Athena sighed, looking apologetic. “Being at the set all day will definitely be a cause for drama and rumors. We think it’s best for you to end your little internship at the studio.”

Even though the internship had been purely to give Piper a leg up in the college application competition, she still felt her heart sinking in her chest uncomfortably at the news. Her so-called internship, which mainly consisted of her grabbing coffee for her dad and playing around with Frank, had been something new that she genuinely enjoyed. The people on set enjoyed her presence, and she enjoyed theirs. It gave her an excuse to spend more time with her dad, which had not been the case a few years before. This was supposed to be her summer to be with him.

“Okay.” Piper’s voice sounded hollow, and suddenly she didn’t want to finish her plate of pancakes. Her stomach was twisted up into knots.

“I’m sorry, Pipes.” Her dad walked over to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Having you around made everything so much better. I know how much it meant to you.”

She nodded, and she flashed the agents a tiny smile. “Thank you for your help. I’m sorry that I got everyone into this mess.”

Mellie shook her head quickly. “You’re seventeen, Piper. It’s only normal for you to get upset when someone disrespects you. This is not your fault. The media unfairly targets you.”

Athena, as always, was not as comforting as Mellie. “This is a good learning experience. Next time you get angry at someone, do it in private.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll keep that mind for next time.” Piper gently wiggled out of her father’s embrace, feeling mentally exhausted despite having been up for less than an hour. “If you need me, I’ll be in my room.”

“You didn’t finish your breakfast,” her dad said, eyebrows pulling together.

Piper was already making her way to the stairs, calling out over her shoulder, “Not hungry!” She rushed upstairs, closed the door to her room, and collapsed in her bed. She wasn’t sure how long she laid there for, and it wasn’t until her phone vibrated after what felt like an eternity of her self-loathing that she actually moved. She glanced at the screen, expecting either Percy or Leo to be asking her if she was okay, but instead an unfamiliar number had sent her a message. After reading it, her heart jumped in her chest, and she wondered if she had somehow died in the past hour because the text couldn’t have been real.

_Hey, it’s Jason. Can I come over?_

* * *

If someone had told Piper just days ago that Jason Grace would be sitting on a kitchen stool in her house, she would’ve laughed and asked them what kind of fever dream they were having.

Two hours after his text, he arrived in his shiny black Jeep, sunglasses on, looking like some boyband member. Except he didn’t look like a boyband member, because Piper didn’t like boyband members, and he looked so attractive that it was unfair. The black shirt he wore fit so well that she could see every curve on his shoulders and abdomen and chest, his biceps straining from the short sleeves. He looked more godly than anything and it was honestly insulting.

She asked if he wanted coffee when he arrived, and he agreed. She poured him a mug, and for once, he looked grateful for her presence. He sat there, drinking his coffee silently for a few minutes while she sat on the counter, swinging her legs. It wasn’t exactly an awkward silence, but it was nowhere near comfortable.

“So.” Jason’s voice was quiet, void of any decipherable emotion. “Sorry for the random text. I asked Athena to get it from Mellie, and I didn’t even realize how creepy it was until I was on my way here.”

Piper laughed, shaking her head. “No, you’re fine. I didn’t really question it.”

He looked up at her and she swore he almost smiled. “Used to random people getting your number?”

“I mean, yeah, it’s happened a few times.” Piper scrunched up her nose, and she looked down at her swinging legs. “But like I told you, I didn’t question it. Our parents work closely together, I was pretty positive that you didn’t internet hack me to get my number.”

Jason gave her a blank look, and he let out a small laugh out of the blue. It was a beautiful sight, like watching the sun break out from the clouds after days of relentless rain. His eyes closed and his head tilted back ever so slightly, and the noise… Well, some laughs resonated with her, and his laugh was one of them.

When he stopped laughing, he looked up at her. “You stormed off yesterday before I could respond to you,” he said. “I just…” He shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

 _I’m sorry._ For a moment, Piper wasn’t sure if she’d heard him correctly. Jason Grace, the boy who just yesterday who made it clear that he didn’t like her, was apologizing? There was the feeling of success, the warmth spreading through her body. Part of her wanted to be smug, to make some offhand comment about how it was about time that he finally got off his high horse (as she had called it), but she knew that a sarcastic comment wouldn’t make things better. After all, he made the effort to drive from Beverly Hills to Malibu just to apologize. So instead of being smug, she replied, “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.” He wasn’t quite meeting her eyes, gaze focusing down. “I know Annabeth already told you, but this… This isn’t _me_.”

“Jason, seriously, it isn’t—”

“Piper.” His blue eyes met hers, and she lapsed into silence. It was as if his gaze sent a thousand electric shocks down her body, his blue eyes even more distinctive than she remembered, almost the exact hue as the Malibu sky. “Let me talk, okay?” When she nodded, he sighed. “You know how messy my childhood was, everyone knows. My mom stopped getting gigs because she was so drunk, and then my dad didn’t want to deal with me, I guess. Thalia had already moved out at that point, so he only had one kid to handle. He sent me to boarding school.”

She knew Jason had fell off the face of the earth, since she didn’t even know he existed until weeks ago, but she didn’t realize that he had been sent to boarding school. “Boarding school is normal for famous kids,” she said halfheartedly.

“Yeah, to keep them safe.” His voice was full of bitterness. “My mom was too drunk to be a parent, and my dad didn’t care enough to keep me around. Athena had her hands full with my mom, so she sent Annabeth with me. That school ended up kind of saving me, you know? It let me be normal. I could ignore that my mom was a drunk mess and my dad was having affair after affair. It was alright for a few years. Last summer, my mom finally realized that she had a problem. She went to rehab, I was sent to live with my sister for the summer. I thought that it was the end, that there was no coming back from that. But then I was told that my mom got the movie job, and I was being dragged back into fame, and I _hated_ it.”

Piper could feel the resentment in his voice, and even though his family’s scandals had been highly publicized, it was on a whole different level hearing it firsthand. Her whole body felt cold, and she wasn’t sure what to say. She was usually more eloquent with her words than most people, but she was convinced that there wasn’t anything anyone could say to him to lessen his burdens.

“I can’t adjust to this fame,” he continued. “I got too comfortable being normal. Like, yeah, my sister’s in a band, but it’s not super mainstream yet, so it’s not like people recognize me through her. My mom is a different story. This movie made everyone remember who I am, and it’s another reminder of how I can’t handle this well. And then I met you.” He laughed bitterly, and her throat felt like it was closing up. “You handle the fame so well, and I was so jealous of you. I _am_ jealous of you. You’re everything I wish I was, everything I wish I can be. You love your parents and they love you. You haven’t had some messy family incident for the whole world to see. I saw you and I saw how well-adjusted you are and it just… set something off inside of me, I guess. I took my anger out on you. It wasn’t fair of me. I deserved the yelling, so I guess this whole mess is my fault. I know we were told to ignore the media, but I’d totally understand if you told everyone that we weren’t dating. I wouldn’t want to be associated with me, either, considering how I’ve been treating you.”

She tried to process everything he had told her. There were so many things she could say to him, but she wasn’t completely certain if anything she could tell him would resonate. So she told him the first thing that popped into her head. “I shoplifted when I was fourteen.”

He blinked, and he looked at her, surprise written all over his face. “What?”

“You said that I didn’t have any messy family incidents.” She shrugged, giving him an embarrassed smile. “My dad was in that spy movie franchise a few years back. Four movies, he was busy for years with the series along with other projects. He was always gone, and I was young, and I didn’t really handle it really well either. My mom lives in New York, and I didn’t want to leave my friends, so I was miserable and alone for most of the time. It built up in me over the years. Finally, I snapped. I wanted attention and I was willing to do anything to get it. I went to the Grove and stole a dress. It was an expensive one, too.” She shook her head, not liking reminiscing on that time in her life since she hadn’t been herself. “They didn’t press charges, and my dad’s lawyer managed to make sure I didn’t have a record. That made the media go _crazy._ I was called a troubled kid, a spoiled brat, you name it. It was awful, and I inflicted it on myself. I may handle fame well now, but it was definitely a long road before I got to this point. Not everyone is perfect, Jason. I should not be your model for how to handle fame, because even I fucked up in that department at some point.”

Jason was quiet. Piper was worried that she scared him off, that learning about her short-lived criminal career made him have a concrete reason to dislike her. He spoke after a long time, mumbling, “I shouldn’t have assumed you had no trouble in your life.”

She shrugged, looking back down at her feet. She noticed how her Vans were scuffed up, and she made a mental note to order new ones. “You didn’t know me before your life changed. I judged you, too. I thought you hated me for no reason. Now I know why.”

He nudged her, and she looked up at him. His blue eyes were full of remorse, and he shook his head as he withdrew his hand from her arm. “I didn’t hate you. I don’t hate you. I envied you, and you handled the fame so well. You were an easy target to take my emotions out on.”

“Gee, thanks.”

He laughed, shaking his head. “You know what I mean. Anyways, I came here not only to apologize, but to talk about the rumors.”

“Didn’t you hear? We met secretly months ago, and we hit it off right away,” she teased. “We’re _very_ serious.”

Laughing again, he rolled his eyes. “You are ridiculous. I wasn’t thrilled to see that I was trending on Twitter, but I think it was a sign.”

“A sign?” She was completely and utterly confused, staring at him. “What sign are you talking about?”

“I promised Annabeth that I’d try to behave myself and accept that this is my life now. I also promised to be nice to you. I think this is what I needed to realize that I actually needed to change.” He gave a half-smile, leaning closer to her. “Piper McLean, if you can forgive me, I’d love to be your friend.”

“Careful,” she warned him. “Why do you think I only have two good friends? Rumors follow me everywhere. Everyone was convinced a few years ago that I was dating Percy. You hate the fame, and being my friend guarantees it.”

He sighed. “My mom is Beryl Grace. It’s about time I embraced who I am. Being your friend won’t make a difference.” He smiled tiredly, crossing his arms over the counter. “And… I need to learn how to be okay with all of this. Now that I know that you used to hate the fame too, I think being your friend will help me accept this. So, I’ll offer again.” He stuck out his hand, and business was written all over his face. “Friends, Piper McLean?”

Grinning, she stuck out her hand and shook his. “Friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooo boy this is one of my favorite chapters in the fic so far (considering i have this mostly written) purely because they're trying not to be enemies and i'm just a sucker for drama. i listened to 'enemies' by lauv while writing this and got the chapter title from that song so i highly recommend giving it a listen!
> 
> i know i said this before but i'm currently working on a new fic (it's a wip and is still in the planning phase) with emma (who is writing her own amazing fic titled roommates under @bipercabeth so go check it out!). i don't know when we'll start writing it and upload it but just know there's another au in the process and it will be the best thing i've ever written
> 
> thank you guys for all your feedback! it means a lot to me. follow me on tumblr @jasonsmclean for more jasiper content!


	7. Jealous and Hypnotized

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being friends with Piper McLean isn't going to be easy. Maybe getting their best friends together will make it a little easier.

To say that Annabeth was proud would be an understatement. When Jason called her to tell her about his trip to Piper’s, she was practically squealing.

“See, Jason! I told you that you were a good person!” she said, an accusation dripping in her voice. “And you made it seem like it was impossible for you to be nice to her.”

“Yeah, well, I think a mixture of her yelling at me and the dating rumors changed me,” he countered back, watching as the fan blades above him spun around. The house was eerily quiet since it was a Wednesday afternoon, his mom and dad both at work. “But yeah, we’re friends now. Still not completely okay with the whole famous thing. I’m gonna get over it, though.”

“See. Maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world.” Annabeth sighed and she said, “Hey, at least the rumors are with _Piper McLean_. She’s gorgeous, Jason. Have you seen her Instagram?”

“No.” Jason knew that Piper was gorgeous; he had spent the afternoon with her. Honestly, he had thought about how he had gotten lucky that the girl the world was convinced that he was dating was as pretty as her. It had been still a little difficult to spend time around her when they first met, but when she revealed the issues she had dealt with, he didn’t feel as envious of her. While she handled her fame well now, she evidently did not handle the fame well before. “Is that something you do when people are convinced you’re dating someone even though it’s completely untrue?”

Annabeth laughed. “No, Jason. It’s what normal people do when they become friends with other people.”

“Hm.” Jason opened his Instagram, not paying attention to any of the pictures on his feed. He had accumulated more followers in the past few days (more meaning several thousand people had sought out his account), and he lazily typed in her name to the search bar.

Of course Annabeth was right. And even she was only partially right— gorgeous wasn’t the right word to encapsulate Piper McLean. She had way more followers than him (two million followers!), and her theme was what Annabeth would call _aesthetically pleasing_. There were many ocean pictures, among other pictures of nature, along with some from her times traveling. He saw many shots with Percy and Leo, but none of them were nearly as captivating as the ones of Piper herself. The most recent one, said to have been posted a week ago, had captured her lounging on the beach, wearing faded shorts and a white bikini top, a UCLA hat on her head, her long hair flowing down her back, and it was evident that she was laughing. His chest tightened up and it was not in a negative way.

“Impressed?” Annabeth teased, which interrupted Jason from his social media stalking.

“We’ve already established the fact that she’s pretty, Annabeth. Do I have to say it again?” he asked. As if to spite her (even though she wasn’t able to see his actions), he followed Piper. “I’m just shocked that she was still willing to be my friend after I was a dick to her.”

“You and me both,” Annabeth replied, and Jason could hear the playful edge in her voice. “I’m proud of you. I can’t believe you already stuck to your end of the deal.”

“And now for your turn,” he exclaimed, grinning to himself. He went to his messages, already devising a plan.

Annabeth’s voice was strained as she said, “Jason, don’t, I said I _might_ talk to Percy if you made amends with Piper. Might being the key word!”

But Jason had already sent the text to Piper: _We need to get Annabeth and Percy together._

 _it’s like you read my mind_ was Piper’s immediate reply.

* * *

Friday finally rolled around and Jason finally managed to convince Annabeth to come with him to Piper’s. She insisted that she didn’t want to ‘interrupt the couple’ (she was having a fun time teasing him about the dating rumors), but he wore her down, as he always did. She offered to drive this time, stopping by at his house to say hi to his mom.

“What are you two crazy kids up to tonight?” his mom said playfully, eating a salad as she lounged in the screening room, some reality show playing on the TV.

“Going to Piper’s,” Annabeth said easily. “She invited us over to swim.”

There was no mistaking the surprise on his mom’s face. “Piper McLean?” She looked to her son, raising her eyebrows. “I thought you said that you two weren’t dating. You told Athena that you two weren’t even friends.”

“Yeah, well, it’s kind of hard not to befriend someone after dating rumors start,” Jason explained. “We talked the day the rumors came out, and we’re getting along pretty well now.” Okay, the only thing they’d talked about after his trip to her house was their scheme to set their friends up, but both of them agreed in that aspect— Annabeth and Percy were attracted to each other. They didn’t have the time to sort out their friendship when they had a plan in motion.

“Well, from personal experience, Hollywood has put me in the middle of several dating rumors, and I haven’t befriended too many of them,” his mom replied, which caused Annabeth to laugh.

 _Maybe you haven’t befriended them because you willingly asked for this life and I didn’t,_ Jason thought sarcastically. He didn’t verbalize his bitter thoughts because as far as everyone was concerned, he was a changing person. It was an uphill battle he was facing to fully accept his life, and the first thing he could do was simply internalize his thoughts rather than say them out loud. He had to remember that change came in baby steps rather than occur overnight.

He shrugged. “I don’t know, Mom. I’m trying here.”

“I know, honey.” Her blue eyes softened, and she smiled gently. “I know you are.” She turned back to the TV, calling out over her shoulder, “Drive safe!”

It took more than an hour to get there, not that they minded. Annabeth always had fun playlists lined up for longer drives, so they spent the drive jamming out. When they finally arrived at Piper’s, Jason could feel himself grinning because Annabeth had no idea what she was walking into.

“You seem happy,” Annabeth pointed out accusingly, eyes narrowing as they approached the front door. “What are you up to?”

“I have no clue what you’re talking—” Jason began to say.

The front door opened, and there was Leo. Jason would be able to recognize the curls anywhere. “Gentleman, lady, good evening,” he called out, grinning maniacally as they walked up. “I hope you brought your swimsuits!”

There was no mistaking the shock in Annabeth’s eyes. She wasn’t dumb— if Leo was there, Percy had to be there. Slowly she turned to Jason, face turning alarmingly red within moments. “Jason…”

Piper appeared beside Leo, her dark hair tied up into a ponytail. “Ignore my friend here,” she said lightly, steering him away from the doorway. “Come on in, guys. I’m so glad you could make it. There’s a bunch of food inside, and everyone else is already in the pool.”

“Everyone else?” Annabeth looked like a deer caught in headlights. Jason had never seen her so flustered over the idea of seeing an attractive boy, except for Luke, who had been a senior when she was in the seventh grade (she had a massive crush on him for the entirety of the year, and it didn’t exactly go away immediately after he graduated).

“Yeah, I invited Frank over, and also Hazel.” Piper shrugged, closing the door as Jason and Annabeth entered. “Oh, and Percy, of course, but that’s a given.”

At the mention of Percy’s name, Annabeth’s face flushed again and she glared daggers at Jason. She mouthed _I hate you._

As Annabeth went into the kitchen, probably to eat, Piper looked at Jason with a smug smile. She was wearing shorts and a yellow bikini top, donning similar attire as the picture he had seen on her Instagram. Except she looked better in person. He tried not to fall into a flustered, blushing mess like Annabeth.

“We are evil geniuses,” she said, laughing lightly. “I didn’t tell Percy that Annabeth was coming. He has no idea.”

“I think Annabeth had a suspicion, but I don’t think she thought I would be able to keep a secret,” he admitted, which made Piper laugh again.

“I’m glad you guys could make it. My dad’s at another meeting.” She didn’t look too bothered, but there was an edge to her voice that matched how Jason usually felt when his parents were busy. “I hate being in this huge house alone, so I make it a point to invite my friends over whenever I can.”

 _Except your dad loves you,_ Jason wanted to say, but he didn’t. Instead, he answered flatly, “I get that.”

She must have sensed the bitterness in his voice. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No,” he answered too quickly.

“Jason.” She moved closer to him, and now they were only a step’s width apart. He could see each individual loose strand framing her face. There was a scar from her forehead, and he wondered where it had come from. “I’m learning just as much as you are. If I say something insensitive, please tell me.”

He hated how kind she was even when he gave her short responses. Half of him wanted her to call him out again, but the other half enjoyed how her gentle her voice was. “It was stupid. You didn’t do anything wrong. You just… mentioned being home alone. I was home alone a lot, too.”

Awareness dawned in her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

“Piper, it’s not your fault.” He gave her a half smile, still trying to shake off the thoughts of echoing hallways and empty bottles littering the floor. It wasn’t like she knew personally how often he was left home alone as a kid while his dad worked and his mom went to the bar. She didn’t know. He couldn’t let himself lash out again because he was genuinely trying to heal.

She shrugged, leading him into the kitchen, which was vacant of people. Since he hadn’t really paid much attention to the little details the last time he was there, he paid attention now, observing his surroundings intently. Her home looked like it had been taken straight out of some interior design magazine. All the appliances were brand new, sleek silver, and the TV was giant, a leather couch facing it. The granite countertops seemed vacant of any decipherable trace of cooking, but the island was covered with a stack of pizza boxes, soda cans, chip bags, a veggie tray, and a plate of cookies. The house was empty, but from out the window in the fading light, he could see splashing from the pool. Voices drifted in from the open French doors, and he could smell the ocean from inside.  

As if it was the most natural thing in the world, Piper hopped into one of the stools at the kitchen island, opening a box of pizza and taking a slice. She didn’t bother with a plate, holding it by the crust in her hand and taking a bite. “Want a slice?” she asked after she had swallowed. “We have cheese and pepperoni.”

He remembered that she was vegetarian, and not that she’d care, he said, “Cheese.” It could’ve been his imagination, but she was grinning as she placed his own slice on a plate and handed it to him. He leaned against the counter, gazing out the window. The sun was getting close to the horizon now, sending rays of gold and pink into the sky, reflecting beautifully off the water. “This view is… incredible.” _Incredible_ seemed to be an understatement, but he couldn’t think of another word to sum it up.

“Yeah. The commute isn’t fun, but my dad and I surf.” She stared off in the direction of the ocean, and the golden light hit her skin, which made her glow. He didn’t want to look like he was staring, which he totally was, but she looked really pretty in the light. “I haven’t been surfing in a while.”

“Why not?” Jason set down his pizza, brushing the crumbs from his fingers. He didn’t know Piper surfed, but he could almost imagine her on the board, bobbing up and down as she waited for a wave.

“I was busy with school. I usually only surf in the summers anyways since the water’s so damn cold here.” She shook her head slightly. “Usually we go to Hawaii over spring break, but this past year we weren’t able to go. I guess I have time now since I’ll be home all day. I don’t know.” She finished off her slice, licking the grease from her fingers. “Have you ever surfed?”

“No.” He couldn’t imagine himself even attempting to surf. “I play some sports.”

She smiled at him. “Really?”

“Yep. My favorite is baseball. I’ve played soccer for ages, too. I played lacrosse this past year just for fun, but I don’t know if I’ll have time to do it again with college applications coming up.” He smiled wistfully because even though his parents hardly ever showed up to his games, he loved the adrenaline and competition sports entailed. He didn’t like to brag, but he was a pretty good athlete.

“I played volleyball and soccer.” Piper smiled. “I don’t know. The school I go to with Percy and Leo is pretty small, so the teams don’t cut much. I’m a starter for both, which is saying something, I guess.”

“Hey.” He nudged her, and she looked at him. “If you enjoy it, who cares if you’re good or not?”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re probably just saying that because you’re good at it.”

“Am not!”

“You go to some fancy boarding school probably just because you’re a good athlete,” she shot back. When he winced, she backpedaled immediately. “ _Shit,_ that was really insensitive. Sorry.”

“Just a bit,” he answered dryly. He knew that this would get taking used to since she probably viewed him as any other celebrity’s kid— a spoiled boarding school brat. It wasn’t her fault by any means, they just both needed time to adjust to one another.

She was quiet for a while. “If you couldn’t tell by my friends, sometimes I say things before thinking them through,” she said lightly. When he didn’t react, she jumped off the counter. “Come on. I invited you to come swimming. Let’s go outside.” He followed after her as she walked out of the kitchen, emerging into the backyard.

“Hey, Jason!” Percy waved from where he sat on the pool deck, his legs submerged in the water below his knees. Annabeth sat beside him, and she pointedly ignored Jason’s probing eyes. “Glad you could make it!”

“Thanks.” Jason smiled back, and he could see a hint of surprise flash on Percy’s features. He waved to Frank as well, and he found himself in the midst of a short girl with dark skin and black hair tied up in a tight bun. “I’m Jason.”

“Hazel,” the girl responded back warmly. She was younger than him, probably either fifteen or sixteen. “My dad wrote _Sent From Heaven,_ so I know who you are. It’s nice to meet you!”

Usually a comment connecting him to his mom would annoy him, but Hazel seemed so sweet, and he was trying to work on the bitterness over his fame. So he said, “That’s so cool. Have you been on set a lot, then?” From beside him, he saw from the corner of his eye that Piper glanced down, a smile on her lips.

“Not really. I work at a vet clinic, so I’m pretty busy,” Hazel answered, absolutely beaming. She began to explain her job duties, and at some point, Jason noticed that Piper had wandered off. He focused back to Hazel, and he noticed that she had stark similarities to Annabeth— she knew what she was passionate about. The light in her eyes was the same glint Annabeth got while talking about architecture. For some reason, the comparison between the two made him smile.

“What? I’m ranting, aren’t I?” Hazel asked, and she laughed.

“Oh, not at all. You just remind me of Annabeth,” Jason responded. As Hazel smiled, his eyes flickered to Piper, who was wading in the shallow end, ordering Leo not to dunk her. Curiosity welled up within him, and he tried to pay attention to Hazel, but a question was burning in his mind.

_What is Piper McLean passionate about?_

* * *

The rest of the night, Jason attempted to socialize. He found out that most of these kids were normal, just associated with the industry. The only other real ‘famous’ kid was Piper, and she was expressing herself in the utmost normal way by dunking Leo underwater and being the judge for the impromptu diving contest.

He found himself spending time with Leo, who was the last person he expected to hang out with. Leo Valdez had a cringeworthy sense of humor, did not seem to give a care in the world, and seemed to be hyped up on caffeine.  But he was friendly enough and definitely did not probe into Jason’s personal life.

Leo, as Jason already knew, was not famous in the slightest. His mom worked in the special effects department in many Hollywood shows and movies. She worked on the mechanical side of things, which made Leo find interest in mechanics as well. When Jason asked him for his future plans, his plan was simple: “Mechanical engineering. MIT is the dream, but Caltech or UCLA would be cool, too. Maybe Berkeley if all else fails.”

“That’s impressive.” Jason couldn’t imagine Leo sitting through two hour long lectures without making noise, but then again, he hardly knew the guy. “What’s Percy’s plan?”

“He’s a year older than us, so he already graduated.” Leo shrugged. “He wants to go into marine biology. He’s going to Santa Cruz.”

“Really?” Jason found himself grinning, looking over at the black-haired boy, who was much closer than he originally had been to Annabeth. “Huh. Annabeth’s headed for Stanford. Santa Cruz is pretty close to Palo Alto.”

Leo followed his gaze. “He thinks she’s so gorgeous. I’m surprised he’s _that_ calm. I bet he’ll flip shit when he finds out that she’s going to be near him.”

“That’s cool.” Jason, trying to remain casual, segwayed into the question that had been on his mind since talking to Hazel. “What about Piper? What does she want to do?” He looked over at her from her pineapple floatie, wedged beside Hazel, the two of them talking to Frank.

“Ah, Pipes.” Leo shook his head, but Jason could tell it was an affectionate action. “She doesn’t really talk about her future.”

“Really?” Jason was surprised— everyone seemed to have a plan or passion. How did Leo not know if he was really her best friend?

Shrugging, Leo seemed unbothered, taking a sip of Pepsi. “I mean, sure, she’s planning on going to college. She’s kinda secretive about her plans, I guess. Guess she’s afraid of them falling through or something. I dunno. She’s always been critical of herself, so future talks are not her favorite.”

Jason watched as Percy crept below the water behind the floatie, tipping it over. Both Piper and Hazel were sent into the water, screaming. Piper yelled out, “You’re an ass, Jackson!” as she tried to swim after him, but he took off like a rocket.

Leo nudged Jason. “Not all of us have a grand plan, Jason. She’ll be fine. You might not know it, but she’s a smart girl. She’ll figure it out.”

“I’m not—” Jason tried to protest, but Leo’s grin made him stop dead in his tracks.

“Piper isn’t scary. You can just ask her these things,” Leo suggested, and that was the end of the conversation.

After that, the night seemed to end quickly. Frank was the first to leave, followed by Hazel (she had to have been sixteen, Jason realized as she grabbed her keys and left). Leo made a big show of him leaving, causing Piper to very forcefully push him out of her house, which left Jason and Annabeth with Piper and Percy.

Annabeth and Percy were still outside, lounging on the beach chairs overlooking the pool. The sun had already set, and Jason knew that it would take an hour to get home, but he wasn’t in a rush. Annabeth seemed to be really enjoying herself; she had been inseparable from Percy since she arrived. Plus, she drove, so it wasn’t like he could leave if he wanted to. And, for once, he didn’t want to be alone. He actually was having a decent evening.

“We did good today,” Piper noted, perched up on the counter. The pizza was long gone, so she was eating from the veggie tray, and Jason noticed that she was not shy about using ranch. Her hair, originally in her ponytail, now flowed down her back, still damp from swimming. “Look at them. We’re matchmakers.”

“I’d say so,” he agreed. He leaned against the counter, smelling the chlorine that seemed to cling to her skin. The smell reminded him of the free weekends at his school when the weather was decently warm and the pool was open for everyone rather than just the swimming team. It comforted him, made him forget for a moment that he wasn’t in Tristan McLean’s house, seated beside his daughter. “Does your dad mind that we’re here?”

Around the time Leo left, Tristan came home, unfazed at the fact that his house was full of teenagers. He just kissed his daughter’s forehead, introduced himself to both Jason and Annabeth, waved to Percy, and then vanished upstairs.

“Nah. I’ve never brought home friends. The only people I ever hang out with are Percy and Leo, so I’m sure he’s happy.” Piper shrugged, biting into a celery stick.

 _I’ve never brought home friends._ Jason felt a lump in his throat, because for once, maybe he was more like Piper than he thought. “Any reason you never brought friends home?”

“Once people find out you’re Tristan McLean’s daughter, they treat you differently. I never wanted people to use me just to say they’ve been to a famous household.” Piper wasn’t looking at him— her gaze settled somewhere above his head. “I knew Percy and Leo before my dad got really famous. They’re the only ones who knew me before the media did.”

Jason tried to remember if he made any friends before he was famous. But in reality, he hadn’t. His mom had been a famous actress since before he was born, since before even Thalia was born. Even Annabeth had become his friend after the world knew him. The thought of that made him sad. He couldn’t relate to her in that way, so he replied, “I get that.”

She looked at him, brown eyes softer than usual. “Yeah?”

He didn’t get a chance to reply before the French doors swung open. He glanced over, Annabeth entering with her towel thrown over her shoulders. Percy was not too far behind, and the smile was evident on his face.

“We should head home, it’s getting late,” Annabeth told Jason. He nodded, standing up from his stool. She looked to Percy, and she brushed back a strand of her hair— a nervous habit, Jason knew this. “Are you going home, too?”

“Yeah, I probably should.” Percy shrugged, glancing over at Piper. “I’ll probably hang around for a little longer, eat more of her food before I head out. Santa Monica’s closer to here than where you live, anyways.”

Jason raised an eyebrow at the fact that Percy seemed to know where Annabeth lived, which she saw, and she looked away from Jason, face turning red. “Of course.” She grabbed her car keys and wallet from the counter, sending a dirty look in Jason’s direction for his lack of subtlety. “Let’s go.”

“I’ll walk you guys out,” Percy said immediately, and he followed Annabeth as she headed for the front door. They were outside before Jason could even process what was happening.

Piper slid off the counter, shaking her head. “ _I_ live here, and _he’s_ the one insisting on walking Annabeth to her car.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s so gross.”

“Annabeth hardly ever likes people, so this is disgusting to me, too,” Jason chimed in. The two of them walked towards the door, staying on the porch when they saw Percy and Annabeth in the middle of a conversation beside her car. “What do you think they’re talking about?”

“Hmm.” Piper scrutinized them from a distance. “If he’s smart, he’s asking her out. If he’s smart but shy, he’s asking her for her number. Think she’ll go for it?”

“I’d say so.” Jason glanced back over to Piper, and he noticed she was looking at him, too. A silence settled over them, and his mind flashed back to his earlier conversations with Hazel and Leo. The question burned inside of him again, and he remembered Leo’s suggestion to just ask her rather than ask around. “I have a question.”

She looked confused, tilting her head slightly. “Shoot.”

He felt stupid and way too intrusive considering that he treated her like shit up until a few days ago, but he already spoke. _Too late to turn back._ “What are you passionate about?” When her eyebrows furrowed, he clarified, “Like… Annabeth is majoring in architecture, that’s what she’s passionate about. Leo told me that he loves mechanical engineering. That’s what he’s passionate about. What about you? I feel like for someone who’s decently famous, I don’t know much about you.”

A smile spread on her lips, and she laughed softly. “You’re right. That’s a conversation for another day, Jason Grace.”

“You’re not gonna tell me?” Jason stared at her incredulously. She simply shook her head.

Annabeth honked her horn at him. He glanced over to see her in the driver’s seat, grinning at him through the windshield. Percy was heading back to the porch.

“One day, _if_ you’re lucky,” Piper informed him. “I don’t tell anyone this side of me, so consider yourself lucky if I ever tell you.”

He wanted to question her again, but he bit his tongue. They only just decided to start being friends, and even as friends, there were still many hurdles to overcome before he told her more personal things. Trust was a two way street, and if this is what Piper considered something personal, so be it.

“You’ll tell me some day,” Jason vowed. “I’ll be lucky.”

He thought he saw Piper smile before he got into Annabeth’s car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love this chapter so much too because it actually has my kids trying to be friends AND they're scheming to get percabeth together. i love them so much. the title comes from 'stupid for you' by waterparks which is such a jasiper song.
> 
> as many of you know from my tumblr, i've been talking a lot about my wip with emma (@bipercabeth). as we let slip yesterday and today, it's getting uploaded TOMORROW here. stay tuned, i'm a little biased since it's my story but it's something you guys should definitely check out. (it has jasiper, folks!)
> 
> thank you all for your feedback! next update will be saturday. follow me on tumblr for more updates @jasonsmclean


	8. With The Stars In Our Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper's trying to be a good friend to Jason. 'Trying' being the key word.

“She said yes!”

“I know, Percy.”

“I know, but she said yes! To me!”

“Yeah, like I said, _I know_.”

“You’re such a bummer. Leo was way more excited when I told him,” Percy complained.

Piper rolled her eyes, studying her fingernails. The nail polish she had applied earlier in the week was chipping and she frowned. She was too lazy to repaint them, but they didn’t look so great while they were chipping. “Sucks.”

“What sucks?” Percy demanded, raising his head from where it had been resting on the pillow.

“My nail polish,” she mumbled and he groaned.

“Can you just pretend to be excited for me? Please?” he asked, sounding annoyed.

She gave her best friend a blank look. “Percy, it was because of my scheming that you and Annabeth even talked. I wasn’t going to let you never talk to her again.” He opened his mouth to protest, but she held up a finger, so his mouth shut. “If not for my perfectly executed plan and Jason’s assistance, you two would have probably never seen each other again. I’m not dumb, I saw how you guys looked at each other. I knew that you were going to ask her out, and I knew she’d say yes.”

He glowered at her and if she didn’t know him better than she knew herself, she would’ve thought he was genuinely mad at her. He reached down off his bed, throwing a pillow at her. She tried to dodge, but it hit her in the face.

“This pillow has seen the depths of hell!” she cried out dramatically. “Disgusting!” It was true, Percy’s room was less than clean and the only reason she could see the floor (most of the time) was because of Sally. But it was endearing— he’d always been messy. It was weird to think that in a few short months, his mess would be miles away in Santa Cruz.

“But seriously, what do I do? Where do I take her?” Percy asked once Piper relaxed. “I mean, c’mon, I haven’t been on a date since my junior year. I can’t just take her anywhere, you know?”

She hummed, staring up at his ceiling. The plastic glow-in-the-dark stars from middle school were still pressed to the ceiling, sending her back to an easier time in her life. She wished she could reminisce on the good old days but Percy was chewing on his bottom lip now, probably hard enough to draw blood and she would be a shitty friend if she didn’t try to brainstorm a date idea with him. The last time he freaked out this much over a date was with Rachel Dare during his freshman year and he hadn’t even been half as worried as he was now.

“Let’s go get ice cream on the pier and think about some date ideas,” she suggested. She got out of his bed, slipping on her Vans before grabbing her denim jacket. “We need some fresh air, anyway.”

He seemed to enjoy the idea because he hauled himself up and pulled on his Converse, which were almost as beat up as her Vans. He pulled on his swim team sweatshirt, running a hand through his messy hair as the two of them exited his bedroom. Piper could hear the tapping of his mom’s keyboard from her study, probably working away at a new novel (Sally was in the middle of a series). Paul, Percy’s stepdad, was in the kitchen, cutting up banana slices for Estelle, Percy’s one-year-old sister.

“Hey, Stella,” Percy murmured, looking at his sister affectionately. He kissed her forehead and she let out a delighted laugh. “Piper and I are gonna get some ice cream at the pier. Want anything?”

“I’ll pass. Ask your mother, though. Have fun, you two,” Paul said, setting down the plastic bowl with banana slices in front of where Estelle sat at her high chair.

“Mom? Ice cream?” Percy called as he headed for the door.

“No thanks!” was Sally’s distracted reply. “Be home before dinner!”

Percy opened up the door, exiting his house with Piper at his heels. He locked his door, shoved his hands in his sweatshirt pocket, the two of them heading down the sidewalk.

His house was only a block away from the Santa Monica Pier. When they moved into this house when he was eleven, they would spend hours at the beach together. Santa Monica had the shops and energy that Malibu lacked, which made it so much more alluring to middle schoolers. The trio spent countless hours in Santa Monica over the years— Malibu was sometimes too far and the Valdez’s house in Inglewood didn’t have the beach so close.

The thought of Leo made Piper say, “I wish Leo were here.”

“He said he’d swing by after work,” Percy reminded her. Leo worked at a car shop. He, unfortunately, did not live the luxurious life that Piper had, or even Percy, for that matter. It wasn’t like he was poor by any means, but he had a tireless work ethic and had been working since he was fifteen. “He gets off at six.”

“Still. Leo would have more exciting date ideas than I do,” Piper mumbled, kicking a pebble into the road. Percy snorted in response.

The pier wasn’t too busy since it was a Sunday afternoon. It was summer, so it wasn’t like kids had school the next day, but people still had work and lives. Kites flew up in the sky and people were running in the sand. It may have been the middle of June but they were in the South Bay, so she didn’t expect anything out of the June gloom. The wind was colder than she liked, forcing her to shove her hands into the pockets of her denim jacket. Her hair whipped across her face, so she partially walked behind Percy to find some refuge from the breeze. They quickened their pace, passing multiple shops and restaurants before ducking into the ice cream shop. This was their home turf, having been going here for ice cream since they were kids. The owners and most employees knew them by name and tonight was no exception— the worker bid them hello. They ordered their ice cream (Piper got her usual single scoop of strawberry in a cup, Percy got a double scoop of mint chocolate chip in a cone), paid, left a grateful tip, then sat at the table nestled in the corner. It was by the huge window, giving them a perfect view of the Pacific and was out of earshot of the workers.

“This inspire any ideas?” Percy asked between licks of his ice cream.

Piper held her spoon in her mouth, staring intently out at the waves as she thought long and hard. She liked Annabeth a lot and she knew Percy did as well. She couldn’t half-ass her ideas because she wanted it to work out just as much as he did. “Take her to ice cream?” she suggested. “We love this place.”

“I’m definitely going to take her here eventually, but I don’t think our first date is the time.” He looked troubled. If he wasn’t so worried over this date, she would’ve pointed out that he said he would take her here _eventually,_ which would insinuate that he was convinced there would be future dates. “I want to take her somewhere special, you know? No offense because I love you and Leo, but Annabeth…” His voice trailed off and she looked at him. He was staring at his ice cream, which was melting faster than he was eating it and he didn’t even seem to notice that it was dripping down the cone. “I don’t know. I feel like I was meant to meet her. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Of course. I was meant to meet you and Leo,” Piper answered immediately.

“Even more than that, though.” Percy’s gaze was like steel. She had never seen him this sure of anything before in his life. Even when he met his baby sister for the first time, he had been unsure, hands shaking— he had been scared to hold something so small, so fragile. This kind of stability was what he needed. Sure, his life was on track now, but he had struggled when he was a kid. When Piper met him, he had Gabe in his life. His stepfather ruined his childhood until Sally had enough and divorced him when Percy was eleven. He had been scared of love, even feared Paul for a while. He had sometimes questioned his ability to be a good partner himself, but now he was sitting in the same ice cream shop they had been coming to since they were children and he was an adult and he was so certain that it was destiny that he met Annabeth Chase and Piper could not fuck up on first date ideas.

Her ice cream was nearly completely melted at this time. She stared into the pink liquid, trying to think of a worthy idea. _Somewhere special…_

“The Long Beach Aquarium,” she said instantly.

Percy’s green eyes sparkled and he smiled wistfully. “You know me better than I know myself, McLean.”

The Long Beach Aquarium was a special place to Percy. His dad had been absent in his life for ages, having been young and scared to raise a child, so he bolted when Percy was a baby. It wasn’t until Percy was twelve that his father reached out and they went to the Long Beach Aquarium together. Percy found out that his dad majored in marine biology and worked for a sea life conservation organization in Florida. Although their relationship was still kind of awkward, Percy got over his hatred for his dad leaving and now was majoring in marine biology as well. He never took anyone to the Long Beach Aquarium because he said it was _too special_ to him.

“Come on.” Percy had somehow managed to scarf down the rest of the ice cream cone, wiping his sticky fingers on a napkin. He took their trash and tossed it away in the bin next to their table, standing up and holding his arm out to Piper. “Dinner will be ready soon and I have some aquarium tickets to buy.”

* * *

“I can’t believe you’ve never had authentic Thai food.” Piper shook her head, stretching her feet out on the dashboard in front of her. “God, you’re even more white than I thought.”

“Hey!” Jason glared at her, looking pointedly at her feet on the dash. “Off.”

Grumbling, she curled her legs back up, instead settling her knees against her chest. “Are you one of those guys?” When he raised an eyebrow as his eyes focused back on the road, she clarified, “One of those guys who love their car more than they love their families.”

He gave her another look, this time the _I’m sensitive about my tragic backstory and my unwanted fame_ look. Before she could apologize, he sighed, muttering, “Jeeps have been my dream car since I was, like, five, so yes. This is my baby.”

She relaxed, the tension in her shoulders fading. She expected an offhand comment from him and she didn’t want to feel bad for her awful humor. Whenever she was around him, it felt like she was walking on eggshells— one wrong comment and she got the wrath of asshole Jason. Most people would call her crazy for being his friend, but when he was in a good mood, he wasn’t bad company. He made the risk of being caught by paparazzi almost worth it. _Almost_. She would never tell him that, but she liked thinking it.

“But no,” he continued, “I’ve had Americanized Thai. But as you put it, I am very white, thanks for noticing.”

Traffic was almost at a standstill so he put the Jeep in park. The brake lights in front of them reflected off his face, making the scar on his upper lip appear silver. To be frank, he looked like a model, not that she would ever vocalize her thoughts.

It was a Friday night. She had been at Percy’s nearly all day, helping him mentally prepare for his date with Annabeth. She stayed with him until he left to pick her up (he was driving all the way to her house, which was right next to UCLA, to pick her up before backtracking to Long Beach, that _gentleman_ ) and then she texted Jason, asking him to grab dinner with her since their best friends were going on a date with each other. Although they had hung out once before as friends, she was still surprised that he said yes instead of refusing since they were going out in public, risking being caught by nosy photographers. Maybe Jason was right and he was trying his best to accept life as it was. He was really embracing the whole _if life gives you lemons_ perspective.

She was exerting nervous energy and she couldn’t put her finger on exactly why. Maybe it was because the last time they were together, he had asked her about what she was passionate about. It wasn’t like she was ashamed of what she wanted to do when she got older, it just felt so private. If she spoke her plans out into existence, she was afraid everything would crumble right before her eyes. And Jason hated her less than two weeks ago. She didn’t even tell Percy or Leo her plans. What gave him that edge? Maybe a small part of her wanted to tell him.

“Where’d Percy end up taking Annabeth, anyway?” Jason asked, breaking Piper from her thoughts. She looked back over at him, his eyes locked on the road. The speed of traffic had picked up again.

“Long Beach Aquarium,” she answered easily. “That’s one of his favorite places in the world. Wanted to make it special.”

He nodded, a smile flickering onto his face. “He seems like a good guy.”

“He is.” She looked down at her hands, her fingers twitching as if she were nervous. But she wasn’t nervous— unless she was? She didn’t know, for her emotions had been resembling a roller coaster these days— one second she was up and the next she came crashing down. “He deserves someone like Annabeth. She’ll be good for him. He’s had a tough past, and I think that she’s what he needs.”

Jason was quiet. He flicked his blinker on, exiting towards Griffith Park where the restaurant was. She was afraid her comments were too bold but then he said softly, “Annabeth deserves someone like him. She needs it.” He risked a look over at Piper, his smile turning sad. “Her mom’s never been easy on her. Her dad lives in the Bay Area with her godawful stepmom. We’ve been our own little family for as long as I can remember. If Percy ends up being permanent, it’d be cool to add to our family.”

 _Our own little family_. “Percy’s like my brother. So is Leo. We’re a little family, too. With Percy’s family and Leo’s mom, of course,” Piper laughed.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. It took a few more minutes for them to arrive at the restaurant. Jason managed to find a spot and they hopped out of the Jeep. Both of them were on edge, knowing that they were in prime paparazzi territory. They informed both Mellie and Athena that they were going out— neither had been thrilled with the idea since the dating rumors were finally dying down a bit, but they were teenagers and they wanted to have fun. He kept a respectable distance between the two of them, opening the door for her. _A true gentleman_ , she thought in passing as she put her name down. Maybe they were just lucky or maybe the hostess recognized them because within five minutes they had been seated a small booth in the corner of the restaurant.

“What do you even order from Thai restaurants?” Jason asked, looking through his menu.  “Not gonna lie, not a huge spicy food fan.”

Rolling her eyes, she informed him, “You are disgustingly white.”

His eyebrows furrowed and he made a face at her, which she laughed at. “And?”

“My two best friends are Hispanic. They can handle spicy food.” She flipped through her menu and she could feel his focused eyes on her. “I’ll order for you, don’t worry about it.”

He looked relieved. “Thank you. I think I owe you.”

She flashed him a grin. The waitress came up to take their order, so she ordered them spring rolls and pad Thai. (Basic, but delicious. He would thank her again later.)

When the waitress left, she turned back to Jason. He was swirling his straw around his water, looking utterly at ease. She wasn’t preparing any questions, but the question slipped out before she could think it through: “What are you passionate about?”

He looked up, his movements slowing to a stop. He blinked, his brilliant blue eyes glistening with recognition. A knowing smile flashed to his face and he said lightly, “This is karma.”

“Undoubtedly.” She rested her chin on her palm, grinning smugly at him. “I hardly know you. The world’s convinced we’re dating, so I might as well make an effort. And at this rate, our best friends will be dating any day now, so we’re _really_ gonna be seeing each other.”

“Any chance you’ll tell me what you’re passionate about?” he shot back.

 _Nice try._ “Maybe.”

He sighed, shaking his head slightly. “Political science. I want to be a lawyer. Sounds weird, I know, a white guy trying to go into politics. But there are so many injustices in the world, you know? Too many people sit by and do nothing. I feel like if I try to fix all the wrongs, it might make a difference.” He then frowned, suddenly looking self-conscious. “You’re laughing at me.”

“I’m not!” Piper was smiling, yes, but she was in no way laughing. “No offense, but most white guys don’t care about anything other than themselves.”

Wincing again, he seemed to shake off the comment before she could sneak in an apology. _Of course. Jason is going through a phase in which he hates himself_ , she thought sarcastically. “I guess. I don’t know. I just want to fix things. I’ve been through a lot in my life and I was too young or ignored when I wanted to stand up for myself. I think going into politics will give me some sense of control.”

He went on, talking about several things he wanted to change. Lack of protection for the LGBTQ? _Horrible_. Separation of immigrant families? _Inhumane_. Controlling reproductive rights? _Not my body, so it’s up to the women only_. He gushed about making a difference, standing up for the people who didn’t have the power or platform to. Piper didn’t want to admit it, but he knew his stuff. He appeared the happiest and calmest that she’d ever seen him. She should’ve asked him this question ages ago to avoid his bitterness. He spoke for so long that by the time he was winding down, the waitress appeared with their food.

“Was I talking for that long?” Jason asked sheepishly.

Piper laughed, brushing off his question. “It was interesting. Gives me perspective. I feel like I know you a little better now.”

“Any chance you’ll tell me what your passion is?” he asked hopefully.

She smiled at him innocently and his grin turned into a look of disappointment. “Maybe one day. Now eat and tell me what a genius I am.”

Of course, her order was loved— he enjoyed it thoroughly. The dinner itself was enjoyable; they laughed and they ate and they talked about random things, like their favorite type of music and their school experiences and previous pets and hobbies. It was her most authentic conversation with him to date. There was still a bit of underlying tension, as she felt as though she was walking on ice. One wrong thought, one insensitive slip would send her falling into freezing water. Maybe a few weeks ago she would make that comment to make the ice break but she was genuinely enjoying herself. She was enjoying their conversation. If Jason kept improving and moving towards healing, she could see themselves becoming better friends.

Somehow birthdays came up, her telling him that hers was in February (“ _Valentine’s Day, how corny is that?_ ”). He looked up, shrugging, nonchalantly saying, “My birthday’s in a little over a week.”

She nearly choked on her water. “Excuse me, what?”

He shrugged again, looking unbothered. “July first. I’m turning eighteen.” He looked completely unbothered, handing his card to the waitress since he insisted on paying. “That’s in a week and a half, right?”

“You didn’t tell me!” she hissed at him.

He rolled his eyes. “We’ve been friends for, what, less than two weeks? I didn’t see the point in telling you that it was almost my birthday. It’s not like I’ve had enjoyable ones, anyways.” His tone was laced with bitterness and she frowned. _There goes his good mood._

As the waitress brought back his card, Piper’s phone vibrated. She was secretly thankful since Jason was in a pissy mood, but she nearly groaned when she saw Leo’s text: _Went onto Twitter, paps outside the restaurant you’re in. Stay safe!_

“Something wrong?” Jason asked shortly. Piper hadn’t realized that she was chewing on her lip, something she did when she was anxious. He was already in a bad mood and the paparazzi would only make it worse.

“Leo just texted me that there’s paparazzi outside,” she answered back softly.

He cursed under his breath, shaking his head. “Of course. Maybe this was a bad idea.”

Her heart sunk in her chest. He hadn’t even said anything rude, but the tone in his voice sounded awfully close to regret. She didn’t want him to regret this. If he regretted tonight, that inadvertently meant he regretted hanging out with her. She slid a few folded bills onto the table for a tip, grabbing her purse and standing up. “Come on. You can just drive me back to Percy’s. My car’s there anyway.” She had been planning on going to take him to ice cream, but his newly returned bad mood and the paparazzi definitely meant an end to their night.

“Yeah.” He stood up as well, his car keys shining in the light as he pulled them from his pocket, wielding them like a weapon. “Let’s go.”

They walked through the restaurant and as they approached the front entrance Piper could see the photographers. She squared her shoulders, preparing to navigate her way through them. As she got closer to the door, she noticed how Jason’s entire body was stiff and how he looked paler than usual.

“Hey.” She grabbed his arm, considering it a small victory that he didn’t glare at her or attempt to pull away from her grasp. “Jason, are you okay?”

His hands were shaking. “I’m fine,” he said passively, not making eye contact with her.

 _Not fine._ She pulled him towards the bathrooms, ducking into the narrow hallway. It was empty, out of sight from nosy onlookers and the paparazzi. “You’re not fine,” she said bluntly. “Look at me.” He tried to make eye contact with her, failing miserably since he kept glancing away. “Look at me, Jason.”

When he looked into her eyes, she could see the restfulness, the uneasiness. She definitely felt those things as well when encountering photographers but she had become an expert at concealing the anxiety. “What?” he questioned.

“We’ll be okay,” she assured him. “Don’t focus on them, okay? We already know what they’re going to say. They don’t matter. They can lie all they want, but we know the real truth. We are friends. Focus on me. You’ll be fine.”

Her pep talk probably wasn’t as convincing as it could be, but she could see some tension releasing from his body. He exhaled deeply, finally able to maintain eye contact for more than three seconds. “Okay. I’m good.”

“Are you sure?” She only just realized her hand was still grasping his arm. She dropped her grip immediately, feeling warmth in her cheeks, hoping that he didn’t see her blush.

“Yeah.” He sounded slightly more confident, which was all she was asking for.

“You’ll be fine,” she repeated as they headed towards the doors to the parking lot once more. His jaw tightened and he sent her one last glance.

Together, they exited the restaurant and walked towards the flashing lights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter holds a special place in my heart purely for the pipercy interaction. this is one potential friendship that was neglected in canon so i jump at every chance to write this friendship. many of you expressed that you love them too so i hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> if you guys haven't yet, please go check out my newly released collab with emma (@bipercabeth)! it's called 'puck it' and it's a hockey au. i am writing jason's pov and she is writing percy's. she is an unbelievably talented writer and i am so thrilled to be writing with her. the fic not only includes jasiper but it also has just as much percabeth! it's also on ao3 and it would mean the world to both of us if you guys checked it out and left some feedback on it.
> 
> as always, check out my tumblr for more content or if you have questions and thank you for reading!


	9. Through Thick and Thin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No matter how much Jason tries, he isn't good. Not to Piper, anyway.

Jason wasn’t sure if he could still try to accept his life when it just made him miserable.

He was trying, he really was. He was supportive of his mom, tried not to get angry over hearing his name in the media, and even hung out with Piper a few times despite the fact that she was a target for paparazzi. (Well, he was a target as well, but being with her doubled their chances of getting caught.) A few weeks prior, he would’ve refused to even see her. Yet he knew he couldn’t continue on the track of bitterness— he would never recover from his childhood trauma if he didn’t start the current mess he was in. So he started slowly, trying to befriend Piper McLean.

That backfired pretty quickly.

For the third time that month, his face was plastered all over social media. The first batch of pictures with Thalia hadn’t circulated too much, but the pictures in the studio parking lot certainly had. Now the pictures from the restaurant were everywhere. It was all the media needed to confirm his ‘relationship’ with Piper. Thousands of more people followed his Instagram and somehow they found his Twitter, which he only used on very rare occasions. Every bit of his personal life was suddenly very impersonal.

Athena lectured him the morning after the restaurant, mashing together her agent side and motherly figure side since she had known Jason since he was in diapers. “I understand that you want to be a normal teenager, but you have to remember that you’re a media target now, Jason. You’re going to be especially pursued because of your connection with Piper.” She slid over her cell phone and he had to look at a picture of the duo in his Jeep.

“Then let me tell the truth,” he deadpanned. “It’s not like I’m dating her. We’re barely even friends.” Once he said that he felt like he was lying. It wasn’t like they were super close or anything, but they certainly weren’t _barely even friends._ There was something appealing about Piper McLean, something that he couldn’t quite pin down, and a part of him wanted to see her again. Even if she kept saying mindless little comments that bugged him to no end and paparazzi flocked to him when she was near, the tiny, more accepting side of him that was still shrouded with the pessimism wanted her to become a part of his life.

“And then what, Jason? You deny the dating allegations, you’re seen with her, the rumors start up again.” Athena shook her head. “Or they start rumors of you dating other girls.”

“Am I not allowed to have friends who are girls without being accused of dating them?” Jason asked bitterly.

Judging by the look on Athena’s face, the answer was no.

That week, Jason made it a point to stay at home. It wasn’t like he had friends to go hang out with, anyway. His school friends didn’t live within a reasonable distance from him and even if they did, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to see them when he wasn’t in a great state of mind. Plus, they might just try to exploit him since he was kind of famous now. _Kind of famous, famous by association, whatever_. So he stayed at home. When he was tired of being cooped up, he either went swimming or jogging around the neighborhood. Other than his parents (mostly his mom since his dad didn’t really give him the time of day), the only people he talked to were Thalia and Annabeth. And no offense to Annabeth, he loved her, but she kept talking about Percy— their date had been perfect, they shared their first kiss, and they were hanging out daily now. Jason didn’t know why hearing about his best friend’s perfect love life brought him down so much.

Not only was he cooped up inside, but there was the looming issue— Piper McLean herself.

She’d texted him the morning after they grabbed dinner, the message simple and short: _hey i’m sorry about everything, the birthday thing and the paps thing. should’ve been smarter, i’m sorry. hope you’re ok!_ It was sincere, as she always was, and undoubtedly honest. Yet he couldn’t come up with an answer to her, so he let it sit in his message box for days. She didn’t deserve to be ignored, but she also didn’t deserve a bitter response. He picked the lesser of two evils and didn’t respond.

After nearly a week had passed since the pictures went viral, Annabeth called him. He was suffering from cabin fever, again, so he answered, but he knew what she was going to say a few minutes into the conversation.

“Are you busy today?” Annabeth asked, voice casual and conversational.

“You know me, staying at home.” Jason stared up at the ceiling, watching as the shadows moved each time his fan spun.

“Well…” _Here it comes_. “I’m hanging out with Percy tonight if you want to come along.”

Jason ran a hand through his hair, trying to suppress his sigh. He knew that she was just trying to help, as she always was, but did he want her help? Did he want anyone’s help? He didn’t like to think that he was someone who needed help, either. He needed to fix everything himself. If he didn’t try and recover, nobody would help him. And as easy as it was to succumb to the inner anger, he genuinely wanted to live a carefree life. If he went out with them, he wasn’t sure he would cheer up. Seeing Percy would remind him of Piper.

 _Piper…_ “Where would we go?” he asked wearily.

“Oh, just to Percy’s,” Annabeth responded, a cool edge to her voice. “He lives in Santa Monica. He wants to grab some ice cream and then watch movies.”

“Any chance that anyone else would join us?” he asked innocently. “Like, oh, I don’t know, Piper?”

Annabeth didn’t reply.

“Nice try, Annabeth,” he said. “But I’d rather not.”

“Leo will be there, too!” Annabeth insisted. “It’s not just Piper, Jason.”

“Like I said, no thanks.”

“Jason.” Annabeth sounded exasperated and she felt that way fairly so. “You told me you would try to be nicer. You said you’d try to handle the circumstances. You were doing so _well._ ”

He closed his eyes, feeling an overwhelming wave of disappointment crash over himself. He could hear Annabeth’s own share of disappointment— if he let her down, he let himself down. She may have been an overbearing older sister figure to him but it still made him feel bad when he did something to disappoint her. He knew his actions over the course of the past few weeks were morphing him into some unrecognizable person and he hated himself for it. But he couldn’t do the right thing. Not now.

“I’m trying, Annabeth,” he replied weakly. He didn’t want to admit that a rush of emotion flooded his body, so he made his final remarks hastily. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Jason—”

Before she could get another word out, he hung up the phone.

* * *

Later that evening, his dad actually made it home before dinner.

The food was cooking in the oven, a heavenly smell filling the house. Jason lounged on the couch, his mom on the other end, some History Channel documentary about the Vietnam War playing. Definitely not his favorite historical event (he could launch into a whole argument about how the Vietnam War was completely avoidable), yet still intriguing all the same. He was thinking about the food he was going to eat, halfway listening to his mom talking about the documentary when the door from the garage opened.

His mom sat up, eyebrows raising in surprise. “Honey?” she called out.

And there he was, in a clean cut suit, briefcase in hand. The keys to his Tesla were still in his hand, and he had an edge in his eye that most CEOs possessed— harsh and ready to pounce. He was all Thalia, the same sharp jawline, the eyebrows that made them look naturally angry, the dark hair. Jason hardly ever saw his dad, so it was a bit of a shock to see how alike he was to his sister.

“Dinner almost ready? I have loads of paperwork to get to,” he said, voice low, lower than even Jason’s. He loosened his tie with one hand, looking everywhere except for his family.

“Almost. Should be done in about five minutes,” his mom replied easily. “How was your day? Good?”

His dad was already walking towards the staircase, looking at his phone. “I’ll be down when the food’s done,” he called over his shoulder.

Jason tried not to stare as his mom’s shoulders drooped a little bit.

Even reminiscing on Jason’s earliest memories, his dad was really never home. He was CEO of a huge tech company, one that was partners with Apple, Samsung, AT&T, Tesla, among other huge companies. He rose to fame when he was the “bachelor who wooed Hollywood’s leading lady”. They were married in just months, Thalia being born six months after their wedding. Beryl Grace always had a hard time with alcohol even before getting married. So when she started drinking excessively when Thalia was a baby, his dad threw himself deeper into the company. Their marriage was never on solid ground, but the infatuation and sexual desire were enough to keep them together. (Not to mention a prenup that would take half of the company’s revenue with even more of his money being allocated to child support.) She got a little better when Jason was born, but that quickly went downhill again just months after. Since Jason was a baby at that point, he wasn’t quite sure if his dad’s affairs begun at that point, or they were made into light finally. It got a lot of negative attention and everything went into a nosedive after that. It wasn’t like Beryl’s alcoholism began because of the affairs, it was just heightened. The affairs, the lack of attempts to make a relationship with his children, and sending Jason to boarding school without a second thought really defined his character.

To put it lightly, Jason didn’t have a whole lot of respect for his dad.

Sitting at the table with his dad across from him was also kind of nerve-wracking. He couldn’t recall the last time the three of them had dinner together, which was its own level of depressing and he was staring at his food, pushing the green beans around because if someone had told him only a few months ago that this was going to be his life, he would’ve laughed. Just at the beginning of the month, he was Jason Grace, varsity athlete, junior class president, honors student. Now he was Jason Grace, son of Beryl Grace, assumed boyfriend of Piper McLean. He almost wanted to laugh because of the ridiculousness of it all.

“How was work today, honey?” His mom’s small talk was painfully awkward, sounding as if she was reading it from a teleprompter.

His father continued eating, shrugging without looking up. “Alright. We’re looking into a partnership with Amazon to improve their Alexa products. Not too bad.” He took a bite of his chicken, chewing before asking, “And how was filming?”

“Good, good.” She nodded, neither of them looking at each other.

“That’s good.” His blue eyes glanced up, meeting Jason’s. “And what about you, Jason? How was your day?”

“Uh, alright, I guess. Kind of uneventful.” Jason shrugged.

“Starting on your college applications?”

Jason shook his head. “They don’t open up for a few more months. I’ll start working on them in August.”

“Applying to Penn?” His dad seemed to swell with pride. He’d gotten his business degree from the University of Pennsylvania as well as attending their business school. Of course he was an Ivy League graduate who wanted his son to be a legacy. “Business school, right, Jason? Who else is supposed to take over when I’m too old?”

His mom furrowed her eyebrows. “Pennsylvania is awfully far away, honey.” She looked at Jason, the look on her face close to pleading, which made a pit of guilt form in his stomach. “We don’t see Thalia anymore and she lives here. If you move across the country, I’ll feel like I have no kids. You’re applying to colleges in the state, right? Stanford?”

“Of course,” Jason answered. “And, uh, I don’t know about business school anymore, Dad.” He’d been certain that he didn’t want to go into business when he was shipped away to boarding school.

It was his dad’s turn to furrow his eyebrows. “You don’t want to take over the company?” he asked. “Jason, you’re my only son.” _That you know of. Could be more from your affairs._ “I don’t trust anyone else to take over for me.”

“Maybe, okay?” Jason gave a half smile that felt wrong, almost painful. “I’m not even in my senior year. I still have a lot of deciding to do.”

At that, his dad relaxed quite a bit. He nodded, evidently in a better mood since Jason lied. He kept eating and Jason thought for a second that the discussion was over until his dad asked, “So, word around town is that you’re no longer a single man. How’s your girlfriend? When am I going to meet her?”

 _If you’d been playing the slightest bit attention, you’d know she’s not my girlfriend,_ Jason thought, his knuckles turning white around his fork. He looked down, continuing to play with his food. “Uh, she’s not my girlfriend, Dad.”

“Really?” His dad looked surprised. “I’ve been hearing about you two everywhere. There are pictures.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Jason repeated, voice void of emotion. “We’re hardly even friends. We’ve hung out maybe twice.”

“Oh. Well, sorry for—”

An alarm beeped and his mom sighed. That was the noise when there was some at the gate to their driveway. She stood, asking, “Is that Annabeth?”

“Annabeth’s with her boy thing tonight,” Jason answered, unconcerned. It was probably someone who got lost or an agent or one of his dad’s secretaries. “Plus, she knows the code to the gate.”

His mom walked to the small home office which had the screens that showed security footage around the mansion. Jason was just beginning to eat again when his mom called out, “Who drives a silver Audi?”

Jason nearly dropped his fork. He sat up in an instant. “That’s Piper,” he said, remembering seeing a silver Audi in her driveway. _Of course the Audi was hers_.

“I thought you said she wasn’t your girlfriend,” his dad said, an accusation clear in his voice.

“She’s not.” Jason pushed back his chair and stood up, walking towards the front door. “Open the gate for her.”

“Are you sure?” His mom poked her head from the room, eyebrows knit in confusion.

“I’m positive.” Jason slipped on the shoes he had left in the family room, sighing. “I’ll be right back.”

* * *

“How did you find out where I live?”

Piper looked surprised when she came up the driveway to find Jason on the front porch. She stopped several feet away, hands shoved into the pocket of a faded Dodgers sweatshirt. “I, uh, asked Annabeth,” she said, voice quieter than usual. “Sorry for coming unannounced. I had a feeling that if I texted you, you wouldn’t respond anyway. Figured my best bet was to just show up and hope for the best.”

There it was— the uncomfortable clench of regret in his chest. He shouldn’t have ignored her message. He felt bad doing it at the time and he felt worse now that she drove an hour (probably longer since it was in the middle of rush hour) to see him. He didn’t understand why she kept coming back to him when he was treating her like shit. She also kept apologizing for things that were out of her control.

“You came all the way here because I wasn’t texting you back?” He stared at her, still slightly in denial that Piper McLean drove an hour or more just because he failed to tell her that he was okay.

She shifted visibly, her eyes cast downwards. “Yeah,” she answered, sounding almost embarrassed. “I know that going out in public was dumb. I realize that now. I should’ve realized that going into the city when you don’t like the paparazzi was a bad idea.”

He couldn’t help but notice how sad she sounded. The tightness in his chest seemed to get worse. Slowly he stepped closer to her but hesitated. The last thing she probably wanted was for him to get close and he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to approach her. So he sat down on the front porch step, resting his forearms on his knees. He studied her, noticed how her hair fell in a damp mess down her back, how her running shorts clung to her hips (he tried not to look too intently at her body because that was just plain creepy), how she was wearing those sandals all the outdoorsy people wore. _What were they called? Chacos? That might be it,_ he thought. _Yeah, Chacos sound right._

“It’s not your fault.” He wasn’t sure where the comment came from and he realized that he didn’t regret saying it. It truly wasn’t her fault. He would’ve been an idiot for blaming it on her. She just wanted to be his friend and friends went out to eat Thai food on Friday nights. Sure, it wasn’t like their friendship was normal by any means, but this was his new normal. Being famous by association was something he had to get used to. She was used to it and it wasn’t her fault that he wasn’t.

She looked surprised at his reassurance. Her weight shifted again, asking, “Are you lying?”

He put his hand over his heart. “Scout’s honor.”

Her lips twitched up into a smile, and she shook her head. “You’re a loser, you know that?”

“I was a Cub Scout, I hope you know.” He didn’t even realize he was smiling until she walked closer, sinking down onto the porch step beside him. “That doesn’t make me a loser. It makes me honorable.”

“Explains why you _were_ a Cub Scout,” she pointed out. “Not currently. That means you’re not honorable now.”

He laughed— a real, genuine laugh. It felt weird because it had been days since his last laugh, yet it felt freeing, as if he had been holding back his joy due to his reality check. “You got me there.”

When he looked up, she was looking at him. There was an edge to her brown eyes, an instant indication that there was something on her mind. “Are you okay?” she asked finally. “You fell off the face of the earth after the restaurant. I was kinda worried.”

 _Yeah_. That’s what he wanted to say. That was the only appropriate answer to that question out of respect and the necessity for privacy. Nobody really asked if someone was okay because they genuinely wanted to know, they asked it because it was common courtesy. Jason was so used to saying that he was okay since that was the normal thing to do. But Piper McLean was looking at him with her big brown eyes and he knew that she wasn’t asking because she felt like she had to; she was asking because she actually cared. He still couldn’t believe that she kept caring even after he put her through hell. He almost pitied her because he was awful and she was the other half of the dating rumor. His side of it wasn’t too bad since Hollywood adored her most of the time.

“I haven’t really been okay since summer started,” he admitted, looking down at his hands. If he looked at her, he would lose his courage to tell the truth. “I just… I don’t know. It feels like someone threw me in the deep end of a pool and I don’t know how to swim.”

Something brushed up against his arm. He looked down and realized it was her hand. She squeezed comfortingly. “None of us are born with the ability to swim, Jason. We have to learn how to stay above water. It was easier when I was a kid because I grew up surrounded by all this craziness, you know? Even before my dad got his big break, my mom was always pretty famous. I had it easier than you since I’ve always been exposed. But you…” She trailed off, giving his arm another squeeze. “I know it seems scary, but I won’t let you drown.”

He looked back at her face, nodding once. “Thank you. I’m not sure if I’ve ever said that to you. It means a lot that you’re not giving up on me.”

There was a twinkle in her eyes. “I can’t give up on my boyfriend. I’d face slander from TMZ if this ended badly.”

The playful edge in her voice broke the emotional tension. He laughed again, shaking his head. “You’re ridiculous.”

“At least I’m not some loser who says _scout’s honor_.” She rolled her eyes. “Do all boys have to go through Boy Scouts to become a man or something?”

“My dad wanted me to be an Eagle Scout because he was one.” He shrugged, not wanting to talk about his dad. He’d mentioned his dad to her once or twice, but they definitely weren’t on the level of friendship to really discuss that. Not yet. Instead, he raised an eyebrow at her, asking, “Weren’t you supposed to hang out at Percy’s tonight?”

“I was supposed to. I was showering and about to go there when I realized that I’d rather make sure you were okay.” She seemed unbothered. “I hang out with Percy and Leo all the time, and I’m sure Annabeth will be hanging around a lot more now. I’m not missing out. I was afraid that you hated me again, so it was more important to resolve this than watch some movies.”

He was quiet for a moment, trying to process her comment. It was so casual, talking about how he hated her, which he hadn’t. “I’ve never hated you,” he said softly. “I was jealous of you and was taking my anger out, yeah, but I’ve never hated you.”

She nudged him with her shoulder. “Hey. Look at me.” When he made eye contact with her, she smiled. “I thought you did. _Thought_ as in past tense. I know there’s a difference between anger and hatred. You don’t have to explain yourself.”

“I feel like I have to,” he protested. “Piper, I’ve treated you like shit. I feel like I owe you that much considering you’re still around.”

She studied him for a few moments, long enough for him to get nervous at her moving eyes that were roaming his face. He wasn’t sure if she found something in his expression, but she said simply, “Do you want to make it up to me?”

“Of course.” His answer was instant and he worried that his quick response made him sound desperate.

“Come surfing with me tomorrow.”

He blinked. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it definitely wasn’t that. “What?”

She smiled again, looking excited. “You told me that you’ve never been surfing before at my house. I haven’t been this summer, and I was already planning on going. My dad’s going to be filming all day, so I have no one to go with. You can borrow his board. It’ll be fun.”

“I feel like I’m going to suck.”

She rolled her eyes. “Nobody is good when they start. It takes practice. I’ve been surfing for years. Come on, Jason. I’m a decent swimmer, I’ll save you if you fall off.”

The pleading look in her eyes was enough to wear him down. “Okay, fine, I’ll go surfing with you,” he agreed. Her smile almost made it worth it. Almost.

“You won’t regret it.” Beaming, she stood up, taking the keys from the pocket of her sweatshirt. “Don’t get me wrong, I’d stay here longer, but both of us need plenty of sleep before tomorrow and I have an hour drive home.”

“Of course.” He got to his feet, shoving his hands into his pockets. He didn’t consciously decide to walk her to her car, but then he was walking alongside her as she approached the silver Audi. As she unlocked the car, he asked, “Are you going to make fun of me when I fail at surfing tomorrow?”

“Oh, not while we’re actually in the water. I’ll be supportive until we’re done.” She flashed him a dazzling smile, opening her car door. She stood there for a few seconds and for a moment he thought she was going to stay and talk some more. But then she climbed into the driver’s seat, waving to him. “See you tomorrow. Text me when you’re on your way in the morning.”

He waved back, walking to the end of the driveway to open the gate for her. He watched as she backed out of the driveway, waving to her one last time as she sped down the street. Even after her car was long gone, he stood and stared in the same direction she had disappeared in.

Piper McLean drove an hour just to make sure he was okay because she was worried he didn’t text her back.

There was the same tight feeling in his chest again but it didn’t feel bad this time. For some reason, he grinned, and he realized that nobody had ever done that for him. Even Annabeth, his best friend, never made that kind of effort. She usually just let him pout for a while before he contacted her first or she called him until he answered. She’d never go out of her way the way Piper had, not to mention the fact he’d only known Piper for a few weeks now.

Even though Jason would deny it until he was blue in the face, he definitely wanted Piper in his life— he wasn’t sure how she fit in yet, but he’d make a place for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay i know i've said this after the past few chapters, but i love this chapter so much as well. these kids are dorks and i would die for them.
> 
> thank you to all the love on this and puck it! all your comments and questions mean so much to me. i've also made a playlist for this fic so if you want to hear it, go onto my tumblr @jasonsmclean and go through my not quite famous tag! thanks for reading, guys.


	10. I'll Be Coasting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason is hot. That's a fact. Piper just isn't sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Jason Grace had always been attractive, Piper acknowledged this when she first met him, but now he was on a whole new level of hotness.

She woke up earlier than usual, a buzz of excitement within her since she was going surfing today. She had already gotten her and her dad’s board ready, drank a cup of coffee, and waited for Jason to arrive.

Something had clearly changed between them last night. It seemed a little melodramatic for her to drive all the way to Beverly Hills just to check up on him, even she knew that. Most people in her situation wouldn’t have done what she did. Percy and Leo discouraged her from trying to establish a friendship with Jason since he was usually rude to her. He acted like an ass, she conceded, but that wasn't his fault. He was struggling and that was his coping mechanism. What kind of person would she be for leaving him to suffer? Hence why she showed up to his house unannounced. She hadn’t expected much from the talk, so she was pleasantly surprised at the authenticity of their conversation. For the first time, she felt real hope when it came to him.

When he showed up, he told her that he didn’t own a wetsuit and therefore had bought one the night before. (“You wouldn’t believe how easy it was to find a place that was open until midnight that sold wetsuits!” he had exclaimed, which made her laugh.) He sheepishly told her that he’d probably look dumb, which she brushed off, telling him that he was fine. She directed him to the downstairs bathroom to change while she went into her room to get on her wetsuit.

She didn’t really have any expectations of seeing him in a wetsuit. She had been surfing for years, so seeing people in proper surfing gear was normal. It was almost like a second set of skin for her at this point. But when she descended down the stairs and saw Jason, every inch of her body felt like it was on fire.

His lighter features made it appear as if he was destined to be in his wetsuit. His shoulders, broad, looked fuller and again it showed how defined his muscles were. He looked like any other California guy heading down to the beach on the weekend with his friends. She recalled one time at Hermosa Beach while grabbing coffee with Leo that a bunch of surfers had hit the waves. They had all been very attractive and Jason could have easily blended in with them.

“I feel stupid,” Jason said, which snapped Piper from her self-indulgent thoughts.

“You look fine,” she reassured him even though _fine_ seemed like an underwhelming understatement. “You’ll be thankful for it when you’re not freezing.”

He shrugged and again she couldn’t help but look at him again. He really was attractive, she’d be a fool to think otherwise. He was pure eye candy. At least the dating rumors were with him— she could’ve been paired off with someone who wasn’t as appealing to look at. She silently thanked the tabloids for curating the rumors with him instead of another person.

“Are you ready?” she asked. When he nodded, she lead him to the backyard where the surfboards were. She grabbed hers, pointing to her dad’s. “That’s yours.”

“I’ve never been surfing,” he said blatantly as he grabbed the board. “Are you going to teach me or are you going to let me wipe out?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not that mean. Of course, I’ll give you a short lesson, show you simple moves.” She walked over to the gate that led down to the beach, waiting for him to follow to shut the gate behind her. They went down the winding wooden staircase that emptied them out on the beach. Their backyard led to the more private side of the beach, so while there were the masses several hundred yards down the sand, the area they were at had maybe a dozen other people. She set down the board in the sand, waiting for him to do the same. “I’ll teach you how to paddle and stand up.”

The wind blew, which brushed back his hair in an obviously attractive way. He looked like he could be a model in a shampoo commercial. The sunlight made his hair look like pure gold. His eyes were the exact same shade as the sky and there were the dusting of freckles along his face. “Isn’t standing up the hardest part?”

“Many think so.” Piper lowered herself onto her stomach on the board, waiting for him to mimic her motions. “I hope your biceps are as strong as they look, Grace. You’ll need all the muscles you can get.”

He tilted his head at her, giving her a half grin as his face turned pink. “As strong as they look?” he repeated.

“I’m not flirting, you just have big biceps,” she said defensively. “It’s a simple fact.” He was still blushing so she changed the subject. “Back to my surfing lesson.”

She taught him easy lessons, such as paddling, and how to stand up. She tried to relate it to skateboarding, thinking he’d have a simple understanding of that, but he didn’t. Apparently all-American boarding school boys didn’t skateboard, which she should’ve assumed; he was too pretty to skateboard. Boys like Percy skateboarded but Jason was too _prim and proper_ for that. He played baseball. She went into as much detail as possible, showing him the exact motions to perform when he encountered a wave. He was very attentive, watching every action she did, his eyes shifting when she moved her legs. She tried to remember that he was just learning how to surf, but he was staring at her with such an intensity that it made her feel warm again.

Quickly finishing up her lesson, she stood up straight, crossing her arms at him. “Seem easy enough?”

“Not at all,” he answered smoothly. She couldn’t not crack a smile at that, trying to play it off as a scowl. “Just don’t let me drown and I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll try to remember that,” she teased, leaning down to secure the leash around her ankle. “Make sure to strap the leash,” she instructed him. “We don’t want to lose the board.”

He made sure the leash was around his ankle, tucking the board under his arm after he did so, again looking like any stereotypical surfer from California. “Got it.”

“Come on!” She ran towards the waves, wading out a bit before setting her board down, getting on her stomach and paddling past the initial waves. Once she got to calmer waters several yards out, she turned, surprised to see Jason sitting on the board a few feet away from her. She hadn’t been sure that he’d be able to keep up, but then again he was an athlete, therefore having the stamina to stay close. “Nicely done.”

“What do we do now?” he asked, looking to her for guidance.

She looked out at the endless ocean in front of them. “We wait.” It sounded more ominous in her head, so she reiterated, “We wait for some good waves to come around. We can’t just hop on any old wave or it’d end badly.”

He nodded, looking out at the horizon as well. “We wait,” he repeated.

* * *

Piper was pleasantly surprised with Jason’s surfing abilities. He was in no way good by any means, wiping out more times than she could count. Despite falling a lot, it definitely could’ve been worse. There was one wave that he actually managed to ride for a few seconds, looking shaky as he stood up on the board, but he jerked the board back too hard, causing him to fall.

Falling off sucked, she knew that. But he was a beginner, so it was expected, plus falling in made him look even better if that was humanly possible. His hair stuck down to his forehead, causing him to flick his head back to get the hair out of his eyes. The water made his hair turn a dark gold color, the droplets clinging to his skin. When she would say something to him, he looked over, drops of water flying from his face, the water cascading down his skin. She drank in the sight of him, enjoying it far too much.

_He’s too pretty, the tabloids are foolish to pair me with California’s dream boy._

This was the calmest she’d ever seen him. He must have been feeding off her laid back energy. Whenever she surfed, she felt utterly at peace, connecting to the natural world. Living in the city with a dad in the movie industry was tough, being immersed in the concrete jungle for a majority of the time. Being able to surf and staring out at the neverending Pacific made her reconnect with Earth. There was just her, the waves, and the sky above her. He must have sensed her disconnection from the life behind her, matching the same level of energy.

They didn’t really talk about anything of substance. It was of anything and everything except for the things that really mattered. She found out that his taste in music ranged from bands such as Imagine Dragons to white boy rap. He never usually watched TV, except for _The Office_ and History Channel’s documentaries. (She made fun of him for that, and he rolled his eyes.) He was good at all subjects in school but preferred the humanities over STEM classes. She asked him about college choices, to which he said, “I don’t know. My dad wants me to go to the University of Penn, but I’d rather stay in California.”

“Stanford?” she had asked, assuming he’d want to follow Annabeth.

“Not necessarily,” he had answered, changing the subject again (after making an unsuccessful attempt at finding out what she wanted to major in).

After wiping out on yet another wave, he got back on the board, pushing his wet hair back from his forehead. “I didn’t think my body could hurt this much from just water,” he announced, making her laugh. “I thought I’d be fine since I play sports.”

“Surfing is a new level of pain,” Piper responded easily. They’d probably been in the water for two hours without counting their water breaks, give or take. “Are you done?”

He hesitated, finally bobbing his head once. “Yeah, I’d say I am. What about you?”

“I want to ride one more wave,” she said simply. “One more and then I’ll finish. You can head back to shore, it shouldn’t take too long.”

“I’ll cheer for you on land,” he promised, flashing her a dazzling smile with his too perfect teeth before paddling towards the shore.

She didn’t expect for a wave to come so soon. She still heard Jason paddling away when the swell began to form several yards out. There was the instinctive pull in her gut and she began to paddle towards the growing wave. It was forming into the perfect shape and size for her to ride. Her board glided in the water, her hands gripping the side of the board as she wedged her legs underneath her, hauling herself into a standing position. She felt weightless, letting all the nagging thoughts in her head slip away. As she rode the wave, she forgot all the shit she had endured since the beginning of the summer. The sea water sprayed her face gently and she smiled like a maniac, feeling utterly calm.

The wave was perfect until it wasn’t. She wasn’t even sure what happened; one second she was riding the wave like a pro and the next her surfboard went one way and she went the other. She could feel the leash tighten as the two ends of the cord went in opposite directions and suddenly everything was spinning. All she could hear in her ears was the sound of the wave connecting with the ocean beneath it, not sure which way was up or down because she had tipped off her board just right so she was flailing like an idiot. It wasn’t the worst fall she’d ever had, but it definitely wasn’t a pretty one. _Fuck_ , she thought as the ocean approached her. She instinctively tucked her knees, making sure not to let her hit head first.

The ocean was like a brick wall as she cut through the water, sinking like a rock several feet underwater. She held her breath, eyes pressed shut so she didn’t get salt water in her eyes. After a few seconds, she paddled up, kicking her legs to build momentum. Her head bobbed above the water and she coughed as she inhaled. Her hair was plastered down on either side of her face, tasting the saltwater clinging to her lips. She was facing the endless water horizon, turning her body around to grab her board.

That’s when she saw Jason.

He was on his board, only a few feet away from her. When he saw her head pop up, he stopped paddling, eyes wide with fear. His face was stark white, body rigid— she could see how stiff he looked thanks to the tight wetsuit. “Piper,” he said, voice tight and laced with concern.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she reassured him, gripping the sides of her surfboard, wiggling her way back on. Her body groaned in protest, not happy with the force of her hitting the water. She pushed back her hair, knowing that it would be a tangled mess when she tried to brush it later.

“That looked like such a bad fall,” Jason told her, voice strained, and she noticed that his hands were shaking. He paddled closer, their boards inches apart. He reached out, grabbing the hand closest to him and holding it. “Are you hurt? Did you swallow any water?”

“I’m fine,” she repeated, trying for a smile. “It didn’t feel good, but I’m fine.”

“Yeah, you’re fine because you’re done for the day,” he ordered. He still looked freaked out and the fact that he was so worried over her made her want to smile. “Let’s get you inside.”

She tried again, “Jason, really, that wasn’t that bad. You wiped out way more times than I did.”

“I didn’t hit the water that hard!” he cried. “Let’s go.”

Her chest tightened and even though she was soaking wet and her hands were cold, her body felt warm. She hoped that she wasn’t blushing, paddling towards shore. Her muscles were stiff and she knew she’d be feeling the fall in the morning. When she made it back to shore, she unattached the leash from her ankle. Before she could pick up her board, Jason came up behind her, tucking it under his arm.

“Jason, I can carry my board,” she protested.

He shot her a look, a board tucked under each of his arms. “I got it,” he insisted. “Come on.”

Knowing he wouldn’t budge, she walked across the sand, him easily matching her stride. They walked in silence, a crease still between his eyes. The only sounds that met her ears were the noise of her bare feet on the sand and the crashing waves. She risked looks in his direction every few seconds, his eyebrows still furrowed. He didn’t speak until after they reached the top of the staircase, her unlocking the gate to get into the backyard. As he set the boards down, he said, “Come here.”

Nervously, unsure of what he wanted, she stepped closer, still a reasonable distance between them. He gave her a look, closing the distance between them until he was _right there_. She froze, smelling the smell of salt clinging to his wetsuit as his hand brushed her hair back. Her heart was hammering in her chest, her body perfectly stiff as his blue eyes studied her.

“Does anywhere hurt?” he asked softly. His hand pressed against the jut in her shoulder blade, soreness spreading through her. She winced and he gave her a knowing look. “Sore?”

“A little bit,” she admitted. She hadn’t even realized that she’d hurt her shoulder; it had probably been when she was twisting in the air prior to hitting the water. “It’s not too bad.”

He looked unconvinced. “How about we both shower and then we can lay around?” he suggested. “We can DoorDash some food or something.”

The idea was too tempting not to give into. “Okay,” she agreed. She handed him a towel from where it sat by the pool, the two of them drying off the best they could before going inside. She led him to the downstairs shower, leaving towels on the counter before retreating upstairs to her own bathroom. When she peeled the wetsuit away from her body and got under the steady stream of hot water, she could feel the knots in her muscles relax.

What the hell had even happened? Piper tried to think rationally, her mind a messy jumble, remembering how Jason had touched her carefully as if she was fragile. When she closed her eyes, she could still see the panicked look when her eyes when she came up from being underwater, could hear the strain in his voice when he asked if she was hurt. As she rubbed the conditioner into her hair, she felt warmer than usual, the sensation of him brushing back her hair still fresh in her mind.

_What. The. Fuck._

She wasn’t sure what she was thinking. Or feeling, for that matter. The way he had looked at her sent chills through her body. This boy had been her enemy (that sounded dramatic, even to her) weeks ago and now he was brushing her hair away from her face while asking if she was okay. She wasn’t sure what kind of cheesy teen movie she was currently trapped in but she didn’t want to do this thing. This was not one of her dad’s movies; this wouldn’t end up in some cliché relationship. That would be way too predictable and highly unlikely.

After she spent a gracious amount of time in the shower, she cut off the water, wrapping a fluffy towel around herself. Her body wasn’t aching too horribly yet luckily. She secured the towel around her body, retreating into her bedroom and finding a pair of comfy sweatpants and a faded ACDC shirt (it was Percy’s, it was way too big to be hers). After putting on lotion and deodorant, she dropped the towel and got into her clothes. It definitely wasn’t her best look, but she was tired and she’d just wiped out on her board and all she wanted to do was be comfortable and eat an ungodly amount of food. She combed through her hair, allowing it to hang freely as she went downstairs again.

As if it was the most casual thing in the world, Jason was lounging on the couch, the TV already on. He was wearing athletic shorts as well as a purple shirt with white writing— Eastwood Academy Wolves. _Must be his prestigious boarding school._ His hair was brushed through, still darker gold than usual since it was wet. When she entered the room, he looked up.

“Feeling better?” he asked, sitting up.

“Much,” she confessed, sitting down next to him, leaning against the armrest of the couch. She curled her legs up beneath her, ignoring her protesting muscles. “What do you want to DoorDash?”

He looked sheepish as he said, “I already ordered something. Chinese food sound good?”

More heat flooded her body. “Chinese food is great.”

“I made sure to order plenty of vegetarian options,” he said hastily, his own cheeks pink. “I know you don’t eat meat, so I got a few things. I wasn’t sure what you wanted.”

“Jason,” she laughed, reaching out and grabbing his hand. He stared at their hands and for a moment, she worried that the gesture stepped out of the boundaries of their established friendship. But it was too late to pull away without letting her own jittery nerves show. “It’s okay. Thank you. I like Chinese food. I’m not too picky either. My only real food turnoff is meat.”

“Oh.” He seemed to relax at that, smiling. “Okay, good. I was worried for a second.”

They lapsed until a comfortable silence. Jason’s attention reverted back to the TV and Piper recognized the show as _Parks and Rec._ She relaxed against the cushions, immersing herself in the show. It was kind of hard to pay attention to the episode considering that Jason sat directly to her left, his arm resting on the back of the couch, heat radiating off of him. She was perpetually cold and this blond boy seemed to be a human heater. Not only that, but whenever he laughed, it resonated in her somehow, which sounded like another shitty cliché movie line. She tried to shake off that feeling, her thoughts still a mess whenever her mind settled on him.

She was almost asleep when Jason stood up and she was suddenly blinking rapidly. She started to sit up and he put a hand on her shoulder. “Food’s here,” he told her, throwing her another smile that displayed his pearly whites. (C’mon, the boy probably never had braces. He was downright insulting her at this point.) “I’ll be right back.” He walked away and she didn’t realize that she was staring at his retreating back until he turned the corner.

 _Fuck._ She wasn’t sure what she was thinking but today Jason was certainly captivating.

He returned a few moments later, a plastic bag in his hand. He set the food down on the coffee table, carefully taking the little white Chinese food boxes from the bag. They were labeled and she noticed how he was squinting to read them.

“You okay?” she asked, nudging him with her foot.

“Oh, yeah.” He waved her question off. “I didn’t wear my contacts today since we surfed.”

She blinked. “Contacts?”

“Yeah.” He gave her a look, shaking his head as he smiled. “I wear contacts. I’ve never had great vision and then I got hit with a baseball in the fifth grade and got a nasty concussion. I needed glasses after that.”

“Huh.” She grabbed the box he was handing her. She opened the box to find chow mein, grabbing the fork they had provided before digging in. (She could use chopsticks for anything except noodles.) “Never knew you wore glasses,” she said a few minutes later.

He rolled his eyes. “I don’t think that’s crucial information,” he answered, a teasing edge to his voice. “That doesn’t really qualify as a fun fact either.”

“Did you not bring them?” she asked.

“They’re in my car.” He shrugged, taking a bite of his orange chicken. “I only wear my glasses at night. I’ve always used contacts since I play sports.”

She nodded, feeling a little silly and intrusive for getting so invested in the fact that he wore contacts. Maybe they had really crossed over the threshold she had been trying to hard to push past and she was now trying to learn all the trivial things about him. There seemed to be a vast amount of information that she didn’t know about him, a universe full of things she had yet to discover. It was her job to get to know him, the real him— not Beryl Grace’s son, not the person everyone was convinced was her boyfriend.

They ate in mostly silence, _Parks and Rec_ just too damn distracting to hold a real conversation. He was still laughing every so often when a good joke was made and when she compared him to Ben, he stuck his tongue out at her and everything in that moment felt too good to be true.

When Piper had consumed too much Chinese food to be considered healthy, her entire body felt heavy and the couch felt so comfortable. She sank back into her little corner again, her cheek pressed against one of the throw pillows her dad insisted on having. She had yanked down the fuzzy blanket that had been thrown over the back of the couch, the one that belonged to Grandpa Tom and sometimes when she pressed her face into the material, she thought she could still smell the Oklahoma air. She wasn’t sure why she thought about Grandpa Tom at that moment, but she slowly realized because he made her feel comfortable, and in that moment, the blond boy sitting beside her made her feel the same way.

Jason’s eyes flickered to her form, a soft smile growing on his lips. “Tired?” he asked.

She nodded, her eyelids heavier than she wanted to admit. “Kinda.”

“Go to sleep.” He patted her knee, which was curled right next to him. “I’m going to head out.”

“No.” Her voice rose an octave and she really hoped he didn’t notice how she was on edge when he said he was leaving. “You can stay. I’ll be up in a few hours, anyway.”

He hesitated. She thought for a moment that he’d leave and the idea of that made her feel weird, but he suddenly nodded. “Yeah, okay.” He relaxed, a little closer than he had been a moment ago. Her eyes closed at that point and she could feel his body pressed against her legs and for some reason, he wasn’t pushing her away. He was so warm and the lull of exhaustion was yanking on her consciousness. The last thing she remembered before the welcoming arms of sleep embraced her was Jason murmuring, “Sleep well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yes this chapter is 100% for my own self-indulgent self because i love these kids and i also wanted an excuse to write them in wetsuits because... hot. that being sad, i have absolutely no experience with surfing so i tried making it as vague as possible without fucking up any of the terminologies. so. take this. take this self-indulgent chapter and enjoy.
> 
> thanks for reading, guys! i hope you enjoy and check out my tumblr so more content!


	11. Throw You For a Rush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason, catching feelings? It's more likely than you think.

Jason didn’t mean to fall asleep. One second he was watching _Parks and Rec_ , comfortable and warm, hearing Piper’s heavy breathing, which indicated that she had succumbed to a nap. He looked over at her, feeling himself smile before he glanced back at the TV.

The next thing he knew, he could hear a door shutting loudly from somewhere in the house and he opened his eyes, moving his head a fraction to the left to see Piper’s face inches from his.

Somehow when he fell asleep, he had wedged his way between her body and the couch cushion. Her body was curled up against his, their chests nearly pressed together with her arm slung over him loosely and when he looked down, his arm was wound around her waist. He noticed how small she was in comparison to him, the ACDC shirt so large that it looked like she was drowning in it and how that she smelled like honeysuckle again. He’d smelled the scent on her before; it had to have been her body wash. She was so close to him, still blissfully asleep, a content look on her face.

But a door had shut, which meant that someone was home and he was frozen in place, unsure what to do.

Tristan McLean entered the room, eyebrows raised in curiosity. Jason felt his face absolutely blazing and he knew if it was possible, he’d melt in a puddle of humiliation because he couldn’t remember falling asleep in the first place and now he was curled around her and her dad was back. _If I could die, now would be a good time,_ he thought to any higher power that could be listening into his thoughts.

“Um, hi,” Jason said nervously, sitting up quickly. His rapid movement was enough to cause Piper to stir and he hoped he didn’t look too mortified in front of her as her eyes opened. “We were just—”

“Hi, Dad,” Piper greeted sleepily, rubbing her eyes. She didn’t seem fazed whatsoever, yawning. She lifted her arms above her head, stretching beside him as he attempted to distance himself from her. His whole body seemed to be on fire from embarrassment. His mom’s costar, who happened to be an Oscar winner, just walked in on Jason cuddling his daughter.

Tristan was also unfazed, smiling. “Tiring day?” he asked, studying the pile of Chinese food sitting on the coffee table. “How were the waves?”

“They were alright.” Piper reached forward, grabbing the water bottle sitting on the table and taking a drink. “Jason wasn’t too bad, either! I wiped out at the end, so I’ll definitely be sore tomorrow.”

“Of course, of course.” Tristan retreated into the kitchen, his voice carrying back as he asked, “And how are you, Jason? Was surfing too awful?”

While the casual conversation was happening, Jason was sitting perfectly still, on the edge of a humiliated panicked meltdown. His face felt like it was on fire and he couldn’t meet Piper’s eyes even though he could feel her staring at him. “I’m okay,” he answered, voice strained. “Wasn’t too bad out there.”

“Good!” Tristan seemed oblivious to Jason’s panic. “Are you planning on staying for dinner?”

But Jason needed to leave. He leaned forward, pulling on his shoes and grabbing his keys from the table. “No, sir, I should actually be heading home.” The lie felt acidic on his tongue and he felt like he had to spit the bad taste out. He stood up, still not meeting Piper’s eyes because _how could he be so stupid?_

“I’ll see you soon,” Tristan said as Jason quickly made his way to the front door. Jason hastily bid the actor goodbye as he wrenched open the door, unlocking his Jeep as he passed by Tristan’s Maserati and Piper’s Audi.

“Jason!”

He turned around, Piper rushing behind him. She had shut the door behind her, bare feet pattering against the asphalt. Her lips were pulled down in a frown, no trace of sleepiness on her face. She may have been wearing sweatpants and an ACDC shirt that clearly wasn’t hers, hair still wet from her shower, but he drank in the sight of her as if he was a blind man looking at the sky for the first time. _No, no, no._ He tried to ignore the automatic reaction he had to seeing her— warmth in his cheeks, his heartbeat picking up.

“You don’t have to leave,” she told him, voice full of confusion. Her expression mirrored the one she had given him when he had carried her surfboard for her. That had been only hours ago, but now it seemed to be a lifetime ago. That was before he was dumb and let himself fall asleep pressed against her.

“I should go,” he answered, hand already opening the driver’s side door. “I’m sorry.”

“My dad doesn’t care, Jason.” She tried to reach for him, concern written all over her face. “It’s okay.”

“I have to go, Piper.” His voice was monotone, staring at her with an expressionless look on his face.

That was enough to convince her. She retracted her hand, nodding once. “Okay.” Her voice matched his, an edge to her clipped response. She turned around and he couldn’t help but notice how fast she retreated back into the house.

As he got into the driver’s seat, all he could think of was her sleeping face just inches away from his.

* * *

Jason didn’t realize it as he was driving, but he drove to Annabeth’s house instead of his own. By the time he got there, his hands were shaking and his humiliation had turned into shame and all he could think about was Piper’s hand pulling away after he refused to let her touch him.

He’d just gotten over his stupidity and finally started being a decent person to her and now he fucked it up again.

Athena wasn’t home and the only car in the driveway was Annabeth’s BMW. He didn’t see any other car, which meant Percy couldn’t have been there, so he knew it was safe to go in. He used his spare key, entering loudly enough so she would know he had arrived.

Annabeth appeared at the top of the staircase, looking confused as she came down to the first floor. “Jason…?” She studied his face, her expression morphing into one of concern as she stopped a few feet away from him. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m stupid,” he answered bleakly.

She gestured for him to follow her, leading him into the dining room. She went into the kitchen, filling a pot with water and putting it on the stove before grabbing her little bin of tea bags from the pantry. Whenever he was less than fine, she made him a cup of tea. It was just something Annabeth did and at that moment, he was beyond grateful for her.

Several minutes passed in silence, the only noises coming from Annabeth moving around in the kitchen. He studied her in an attempt to distract himself from his thoughts, noticing how her blonde hair was tied back in a tight braid, her white shirt heightening the grey hues in her eyes. She didn’t look at him as he sat at the table, finally glancing at him as she set down the mug of hot tea in front of him. It was in her favorite mug, the one she had bought the first time she visited Stanford and fell in love. She gave him a pointed look, staring at him until he took a sip, careful not to burn his tongue.

“Ready to talk now?” she asked, sitting in the chair across from him. Her voice was gentle yet curious.

He took a few more sips before setting the mug down. He stared into it, focusing on the tea bag as he said, “I was with Piper today.”

“I know. You told me.” Annabeth hesitated, carefully pulling her phone from her pocket. “And TMZ knows, too.”

“Of course.” His voice was deflated.

She didn’t answer right away, flipping through her phone. “There are no pictures this time. Just an eyewitness said they thought they saw you two at the beach, so TMZ took the story and ran with it.”

“Of course,” he repeated.

“So, what happened today?” Annabeth questioned.

The story spilled out. Jason usually wasn’t one to rant, but everything poured out of him— the feeling he had when they were on their boards, talking about nonsense, how Piper looked when she was gliding through the water, the hopelessness he felt as he saw her fall off her board, the way his heart pounded when she appeared in the ratty ACDC shirt, the way she looked when she was asleep, and of course getting caught by Tristan. He was babbling for too long, the words twisting together until he was sure Annabeth was confused because everything was convoluted until it made no sense. It took what felt like an eternity for him to stop talking, but he finally looked up at Annabeth.

“You overreacted,” Annabeth said simply, shrugging. “You fell asleep next to the girl you like and her dad walked in. Anyone would be embarrassed.”

 _The girl you like._ Heat rose into Jason’s face, reaching all the way to his ears. “I don’t like her.”

Annabeth looked unconvinced. “Yeah, you do.”

“I don’t!” The acidic taste bubbled onto his tongue again, the same bad taste that had invaded his mouth when he lied about having to be home. “I… I don’t like her, Annabeth.”

“You’re a horrible liar,” Annabeth countered. “You’re not only lying to me, but you’re lying to yourself.”

He tried to scramble for an excuse, tried to cling onto any bit of truth to disprove Annabeth’s theory. He bit those arguments back since none of them seemed solid enough to go off of, staring back into his mug, the steam rising from his tea fogging up his glasses. It only seemed fitting— his glasses fogged up so he couldn’t see, and his thoughts felt just as hazy as his surroundings were now.

_The girl you like._

No, Jason didn’t like Piper. He couldn’t like Piper. He’d known the girl for less than a month and a majority of that time he spent dwelling in his own self-deprecation to be a decent human towards her. He had clung onto reasons to hate her, envious of her life since at first glance it was perfect. She’d persisted against him, which should have pissed him off to no end since stubborn people usually made him want to rip his hair out. The thing was, she wasn’t doing it in her own self-interest; she seemed to be one of the only people to see that he was truly suffering because of his sudden life changes and she made sure that he had a friend who understood him. She put up with his sudden outbursts and mood swings and apologized for things out of her control. He hadn’t met a person like her, someone who valued him despite his shitty attitude. She continued to try to show him that life in Hollywood maybe wasn’t that bad and she did it with a certain swing in her step. Not only was she a genuinely good person, her looks definitely didn’t work against her. He had caught himself staring at her a few too many times and even before he decided to be her friend, he’d acknowledged her beauty. But no, just because he thought all those things didn’t mean he liked Piper.

 _Now you’re just lying to yourself, which is pathetic,_ his inner monologue chastised him.

If he couldn’t lie to himself, he certainly couldn’t lie to Annabeth. He risked a glance at her, mumbling, “There’s no way that she likes me.”

“Jason…” Annabeth’s eyes softened and she reached forward, taking his hand. “You don’t know that for sure.”

“But I do.” He looked at her, feeling hopeless. “There’s no way she could have feelings for me after everything I’ve done to her. Today, for example. I just left.”

Annabeth’s grey eyes, while soft, were stormy. “Yeah, that was definitely an overreaction. But you aren’t mad at her. You just got embarrassed and your crush on her made it worse to stick around.” She sighed, squeezing his fingers. “I’m sure she’ll understand if you just tell her how you feel.”

“No!” Jason’s voice was louder than he intended it to be, panic clear in his voice. He shook his head, saying quickly, “I can’t tell her.”

“And why not?” Annabeth demanded.

“Like I said before, she doesn’t like me back,” he said. “If I tell her that I like her, everything will go to shit. We only just became friends and today felt the most normal between us. I—I can’t risk everything again because I have a stupid crush on her.” As he said that, he thought about his sad reality and how he would have to hide his feelings around her, considering she even wanted him around after he freaked out while cuddling her. If he hadn’t freaked out, maybe the idea of telling her the truth would be less terrifying. And then he knew he was bluffing; freakout or not, telling her about his newfound crush on her was the scariest thing he was facing currently.

“You don’t know that.” Annabeth’s clipped response held an odd coldness in it, an edge that Jason didn’t quite recognize.

“Are you mad?” he asked.

“Not mad. Just frustrated,” she replied, eyebrows knit together, mouth in a hard line.

“Why are you frustrated?”

Annabeth sighed again. “You two…” she muttered. “Just call her and apologize.”

“I can’t tell her that I like her!”

“Then don’t!” Annabeth groaned, shaking her head. “You don’t have to tell her about your feelings for her to apologize, Jason. Tell her everything except for that. Say you were embarrassed and ran off because you were afraid her dad would tell your mom. Say that you don’t want to cause any drama. It’s not that difficult.”

He gave her a look, nerves getting the best of him. Now that he embraced the fact that he liked Piper, he had a feeling that he would have a hard time ignoring that whenever he spoke to her. He felt as if his feelings would be overly obvious, which would drive her away. That was the last thing he wanted to happen.

“Jason, you having a crush on her isn’t the worst thing in the world,” Annabeth reminded him wearily. “She’s dealt with your moodiness. I’m sure that this won’t ruin anything.”

“Okay, fine.” Jason grabbed his phone from his pocket, sighing heavily. He didn’t like how nervous he was despite the fact this was just one apology out of the countless apologies he’d given Piper. He went to his contacts, hesitating on her contact information. The only reason he called her was because Annabeth gave him a pointed look. He held the phone to his ear, afraid that she wouldn’t pick up after the fourth ring.

“Jason?” Piper’s didn’t sound mad. She sounded like her normal self, which made Jason feel less than nervous than before. “What’s up?”

“I, uh, wanted to say sorry after I left quickly today.” He gazed back into his mug of tea, trying to ignore the feeling of Annabeth’s gaze on him. “I overreacted. I was just a little embarrassed that your dad caught us.”

Piper was silent for a few agonizing seconds. “It’s alright. I could tell you were embarrassed.”

 _I was afraid that I like you when there’s no way you can like me back._ “I was afraid your dad would tell my mom.”

“My dad wouldn’t do that. He knows we were just really tired. He’s a surfer, too, you need to remember,” Piper replied lightly. “He doesn’t care, Jason.”

“I’m sorry.” His apology burned with emotion, Jason noticed. He hoped that she wouldn’t pry because if she did, he was afraid that he would accidentally slip up and inform her of his crush on him. “I’m really sorry for being an ass. Again. I really enjoyed today.”

Another beat of silence passed. Jason dwelled over what she was thinking. He wondered if she had decided in an instant to dislike him. He wouldn’t be able to blame her.

“I enjoyed today, too,” she said slowly. “You’re not a bad guy, Jason. You’re a typical seventeen year old. You freaked out. It’s alright. I can’t be mad at you for that. If it’d been your mom or dad walking in, I would’ve probably reacted the same way.”

He smiled, relieved that she wasn’t angry. “I’m glad.” He wasn’t sure what else to say. All he could think about was being cuddled up against her before running out. “Are you busy tomorrow?” he asked, a surge of confidence surging through him. Friends could hang out two days in a row.

“Actually I am,” Piper responded, a hint of an apology in her tone. “I promised Leo we’d hang out.” She hummed, suddenly asking, “Do you have any birthday plans?”

“Not yet.” Jason wondered for a second if his parents had anything planned for him. Probably not.

“Well, I’m pretty busy until your birthday. We can go out for lunch!” she exclaimed. “I know you’re not a fan of your birthday, but I’m going to make this one your best one yet.”

Another smile flickered to his lips. Annabeth raised her eyebrows and he pointedly ignored her. “That sounds great.”

“Perfect!” Piper sounded excited. “I’ll see you then! Talk to you later.”

“Bye.” Jason hung up the phone, his cheeks aching from smiling.

“So?” Annabeth asked. “I’m assuming that didn’t go too horribly.”

“She’s taking me to lunch on my birthday,” he said with a shrug.

“In public? Are you going to be okay with that?” Annabeth questioned, eyebrows knitting together.

“I’ll be fine.” Jason waved off her concern. He actually wasn’t sure if he’d be okay when it occurred, but all he could focus on was seeing Piper again. _God, she’s too nice to be friends with me,_ he thought. “I’m okay. I’m getting better.”

Annabeth kept an expressionless look on her face for a moment, though it slipped into a smile a few heartbeats later. “You are getting better. I’d be dumb not to see that.” She squeezed his fingers once, a quick gesture of assurance. “And don’t count yourself out too quickly, Jason. You don’t know how she feels about you.”

“She probably has way too much self-respect to like someone who has treated her poorly,” he pointed out.

For some reason, Annabeth didn’t look completely convinced. “Sure, sure,” she said passively. “Whatever you say, Jason.”

He didn’t quite understand Annabeth’s unconvinced tone, but he didn’t care. This was the first time he felt hope for an upcoming birthday. Maybe it was time to stop hating July first after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i would die for this chapter tbh..... my son finally admits to his feelings and i just really love them. it has taken 11 chapters for him to own up but hey it's better than nothing.
> 
> i promise that chapter 2 of puck it will be up soon! also i have another au up my sleeve (that i want to start writing so bad but alas cannot yet) so stay tuned, check out my tumblr for more updates.
> 
> also shoutout to dan aka son-of-rome on tumblr for guessing the opening scene for this chapter, you honestly guess all my tropes so i guess this chapter is dedicated to you :')


	12. Pulling Me In For More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper, catching feelings? It's more likely than you think.

Piper had never been super good at surprises. She had a surprise birthday party when she was thirteen and she’d been too nice to tell her friends that she’d figured out their planning weeks before. It was because of this that she never really tried to plan anything since she was afraid that someone would see right through her.

Planning something for Jason’s birthday was nerve-wracking. Nerve-wracking seemed to be a major understatement, but she was halfway convinced that he was a typical boy and would be too dense to see through her scheming. She hoped this would hold true as she scrambled around, trying to get in touch with people to coordinate a birthday lunch. Percy got Annabeth on board and the two girls planned meticulously for Jason’s fast approaching birthday.

“I feel like a birthday lunch isn’t good enough,” Piper said as she lay on Annabeth’s floor. This was the first time she’d been over and it was kind of weird since neither Percy or Jason was there as a buffer. It wasn’t like Piper didn’t like Annabeth, but she just didn’t know the blonde well yet. Luckily they distracted themselves with restaurant reservations and working around people’s schedules so they wouldn’t encounter any awkward small talk.

“Piper, nobody’s ever planned something like this for Jason’s birthday,” Annabeth reassured her, gazing down at Piper from her bed. “He’s going to love it.”

Sighing, Piper shook her head. “You only turn eighteen once. I spent _months_ getting Percy’s present together for his eighteenth. I’ve only had a few days to plan Jason’s.”

Annabeth hummed, rotating her phone in her hands. “Do you have anything in mind?” she asked lightly. “I’m telling you though, you’re already doing enough. He’s convinced that it’ll be just you two at lunch.”

“I don’t know. I’m only just getting to know him.” Piper was frustrated, knowing that Jason didn’t like his birthday. She felt as though she was going to underwhelm him with the promise of making this birthday the best one ever. She felt like an epic failure at this point. “All I know is that he likes sports.” An idea popped into her head. “Can you search up something on your laptop?”

Annabeth raised her eyebrows, grabbing her MacBook from the end of her bed. She opened it up, typed in her password quickly, then glanced back over to Piper. “What am I looking for?”

“Check up the MLB schedule for either the Dodgers or the Angels,” Piper ordered.

A smile spread over Annabeth’s face. “You’ll want me to search up the Dodgers. That’s his team.” Her fingers flew over the keyboard.

“That’s his team?” Piper asked excitedly. When Annabeth gave her a confused look at her sudden enthusiasm, she said, “That’s my favorite team. I’ve been going to their games since I was a kid.”

There was a shine in Annabeth’s eyes and her lips twitched. “Lucky for us, there’s a home game on his birthday,” she announced. “Against the Yankees.”

Piper laughed because this game was so perfect. “The Yankees? God, Percy has to go. He hates the Yankees.” She reached for Annabeth’s laptop, checking the seating chart for tickets. “Leo will want to go, too. I think Hazel and Frank both have work afterward, right? And Jason’s boarding school friends also have work after?”

“That’s right,” Annabeth replied. “Wait, are you buying _all_ five tickets?”

Luckily Piper had memorized her credit card information, already filling out the payment information. “Yeah,” she said, tapping away as she selected her seats. “First row behind home plate.”

“That has to cost a fortune!” Annabeth protested. “Let me pay for half.”

“Annabeth.” Piper looked up from the laptop screen for a moment, giving the blonde a pointed look. “My dad is a multimillionaire. I’ve got it.”

Annabeth’s face turned red. “Still.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Piper had already paid, handing the laptop back to Annabeth. “Thank me when we’re staring at Austin Barnes’ ass all night.”

“You’re going to make Jason’s whole year,” Annabeth stated simply, closing the laptop with a small smile and a shake of her head. “Nobody’s ever done this much for his birthday, myself included. I usually just have dinner with him.”

“It’s not a big deal.” Piper shook off the comment, but Annabeth was staring at her with those stormy grey eyes and a smile that made her feel good about herself. “He drew the short straw in life. The least I can do for him is give him a decent birthday.”

“It is a big deal. You two haven’t been friends for very long, and before that, it’s not like you two got along,” Annabeth pointed out. “I don’t know how you’re so nice. Or have that patience, for that matter.”

“ _Please._ Look at who my best friends are,” Piper retorted, which caused Annabeth to burst out laughing. “Kidding, I love my boys. But Jason deserves some nice things in his life. I’m sure he’d do the same to me.”

That shine in Annabeth’s eyes returned. There was something behind the way her smile formed and Piper was curious on why she was suddenly so damn happy. “You’re right,” she said, humming under her breath again. “Are you sure you were right to invite Leo, though? Do you think he’d be okay being the fifth wheel?”

For a second, Piper wasn’t sure she heard Annabeth right. _The fifth wheel._ No, that couldn’t have been right. The only people who were together were Percy and Annabeth, which made no sense because that would mean Piper, Jason, and Leo would all collectively be third wheeling for the happy couple. And since Annabeth was Stanford bound, there was no way she got her math wrong. Which meant…

 _Jason and I are just friends. That’s it,_ Piper thought, slightly annoyed that Annabeth was feeding into the idea implanted by the tabloids. _I don’t like him, and there’s no way that he could like me._

“Jason and I aren’t together,” Piper argued, shaking her head. “We’re friends. A boy and girl can be friends without having romantic feelings. Hell, _anyone_ can be friends without having romantic feelings.”

“Sure.” Annabeth rolled her eyes, the ghost of a smirk on her face. Piper was about to emphasize again that she and Jason didn’t like each other when Annabeth changed the subject. “Did I hear you correctly when you said that Percy didn’t like the Yankees?”

“He’s a Mets fan,” Piper responded passively. “He lived in New York until his mom’s books got big and they started getting movie adaptations. Diehard Mets fan. He despises the Yankees.”

Annabeth sniffed, looking offended. “I can’t believe I’ve been on dates with a _Mets_ fan,” she muttered, shaking her head. “I’m disgusted. I love the Yankees.”

“I thought you were from LA?” Piper’s statement sounded more like a question. “Why do you like the Yankees?”

“Before my parents split up when I was a baby, we lived in New York. My dad was a professor at West Point. My mom loves the Yankees,” Annabeth explained. “God, Piper, you should’ve told me you were setting me up with someone who likes the Mets.”

Piper laughed, but it wasn’t completely natural— she was busy thinking about how Annabeth implied that the baseball game was a double date (plus Leo). Was it a crime to want to take a friend of the opposite gender out to a baseball game for his birthday? Piper didn’t see the big deal of it; she was just being a good friend. Because there was absolutely no way that she liked Jason.

_If Leo’s the third wheel, then so am I._

* * *

So maybe Piper was going overboard with the whole _best birthday yet_ thing, but fuck it, she was going all out and no one could stop her.

Thanks to Annabeth, who knew Thalia, who convinced Jason to go out for a birthday breakfast, Annabeth punched in the code to the Graces’ gate. They parked their cars beside Jason’s Jeep, together hauling out the helium tank from Piper’s Audi into the house, which Annabeth also happened to have a key to. They went straight to work, beginning to fill up the endless supply of balloons that Piper had instinctively bought at three in the morning.

“I can’t believe I agreed to do this,” Annabeth grumbled, her hands moving quickly and meticulously as she tied her balloons, allowing them to fly from her hands, hitting the ceiling of Jason’s bedroom.

“I am forever grateful and will support you with Percy until the end of time,” Piper replied in a singsong voice. When Annabeth gave her an exasperated look, she blew a kiss as she filled up yet another balloon.

Jason’s bedroom was exactly how Piper would’ve expected it— white walls, mostly empty. There were a few pictures of him with Annabeth and another black-haired girl; it was Thalia, Piper somehow knew from her hazy memories of blurry paparazzi shots of the other Grace child. His bookshelf was lined with countless novels and Piper had a weird feeling that they were alphabetized or some shit. His desk was pushed against the wall, everything organized into perfect piles that made absolute sense. This boy was definitely the opposite of her scatterbrained self. On his desk were plaques of academic achievement, again showing what a genius he was. His bed was perfectly made, not even the slightest hint that someone had just been sleeping there a few short hours ago. Above his bed was a shelf consisting of his sports trophies, his athletic plaques on the wall just below the shelf. The entire room smelled like him, which was more distracting than Piper wanted to admit.

Piper had done an exceptional job at keeping her surprises under wraps. Jason had no clue about any of this and Annabeth assured her that he was clueless to everything. She was a little smug about it, her entire body humming with anticipation for her surprises to be revealed. She was a little more energetic than she usually was at this time, the promise of the day’s upcoming events energizing her better than coffee did. (Okay, so that was an exaggeration. She’d already had two iced coffees.)

“You think he’ll like this?” Piper asked again, eyes flickering to Annabeth as yet another silver balloon hit the ceiling. “I don’t want to overwhelm him.”

“He’s definitely going to be overwhelmed, but in a good way,” Annabeth promised. “He’s already in a good mood since Thalia took him to breakfast. You were looking to make this his best birthday.”

“Yeah, but I’m not trying to scare him away. Or make him pissed,” Piper added, shaking her head as she gazed up. The mass of silver and purple balloons covered nearly every inch of his ceiling. “I’d really hate for him to hate me again when I’m taking him to a Dodgers game tonight.”

“If he catches an attitude, I’ll knock some sense into him. I’ve done it before,” Annabeth teased. “Don’t worry, Piper. You’re going to go grey prematurely.”

“That’s what my mom always says,” Piper groaned, which earned her a laugh from Annabeth. “I think we’ve done enough damage.”

“Thank god. My hands are going to smell like latex all day.” Annabeth’s nose wrinkled up, raising her wrist up to look at her Apple Watch. “We’re a little ahead schedule. Let’s get this helium tank into my car.”

The two of them had an easier time getting the tank back outside and into Annabeth’s trunk since they had used a gracious amount of helium. Once they shut the trunk, Annabeth looked at her Apple Watch again and said, “Thalia’s on her way back with Jason, so you’ve got about thirty minutes to spare. I’m going to pick up Percy and head to the restaurant. You got it from here?”

“Text me when everyone’s there,” Piper instructed and Annabeth nodded. As the blonde was getting into her car, Piper called, “Annabeth?”

“What?” Her grey eyes seemed to stare straight into Piper’s soul.

“Thank you. I never would’ve been able to pull all of this off without your help.”

Annabeth flashed a warm smile, shaking her head. “No, Piper. Thank you.” There seemed to be a double meaning behind her words but before Piper could dwell over it, Annabeth was in her car and backing out of the driveway.

Piper went back inside, making sure there was no trace of the helium tank or balloons. She picked up some balloon pieces from the few that had popped, checking her phone every so often for the time and to see if Jason had texted her. As per usual, her plans were seamless, for she had texted Jason a few minutes prior to Annabeth leaving that there had been no traffic, therefore she arrived at the Graces’ much earlier than she had anticipated, so she asked for the gate code to wait in the driveway rather than on the narrow street. Jason was expecting her in the driveway and he wouldn’t have to wonder how she got past the gate. Once she was certain there was no evidence of her having been there, she slipped outside, getting into her car and sitting in the driver’s seat as if she’d been there the entire time.

It took less than thirty minutes for the gate to open at the end of the driveway. Piper glanced up, gazing into her rearview mirror as a Range Rover drove up, idling beside her. She got out of her car just as Jason was getting out of his sister’s.

“Happy birthday!” Piper called to him, grinning.

“Thanks.” Jason walked around the front of the Range Rover to stand beside her, a huge grin on his face. She didn’t like thinking about how good he looked, trying not to swoon over the fact that his shirt was nearly the same color as his eyes. He gestured to her as his older sister rolled down her window. “Thalia, this is Piper. Piper, Thalia.”

In person, they looked more alike than Piper had originally thought. Their blue eyes were the exact same shade, both of them bearing freckles on their cheeks (although Jason’s were faint while Thalia’s were prominent), and their jawlines had the same wicked edge to them, looking ready to cut through diamond. Yet while Jason had a very serious look to him, there was a sparkle in Thalia’s eyes that weirdly reminded Piper of Percy— she must’ve been a troublemaker.

There was a knowing look in Thalia’s eyes since she’d learned of Piper’s extravagant surprises thanks to Annabeth. “It’s nice to meet you,” she greeted, sticking her hand out the window for Piper to shake.

“You, too,” Piper said back kindly. To be perfectly honest, she was a little timid since this was Jason’s sister and as far as she knew, this was the only family member he truly got along with. One bad first impression would be detrimental.

“I have to head to rehearsal. I’ll pick you up in the morning for your present,” Thalia promised, flashing her brother a grin. “Go buy some lottery tickets for me, Jace.”

Jason laughed, shaking his head. “You’re going to be late. Go.” Thalia playfully flipped him off, backing out of the driveway and speeding off down the street. He then turned to Piper, still grinning, gesturing for her to follow him inside. “Sorry that she had to leave so soon, I’m sure she would’ve loved to talk to you for longer. But she has some band stuff to address.”

“That’s fine.” Piper stood beside him as he unlocked the door, feeling her heart beating faster in excitement for what he was about to stumble upon. “What’d she get you for your birthday?”

“A tattoo.” He unlocked the door, stepping inside his house. “When she turned eighteen, she got my birthday in Roman numerals right here.” He pointed to his forearm, eyes softening. “I told her that’d get her birthday in the same spot so we’d have sibling tattoos.”

“That’s really sweet.” She smiled, shifting her weight from one foot to another. “I wish I had siblings. I mean, I have a half-sister, but I’m not close to her. Percy and Leo are practically my brothers, so I guess I do have siblings.”

“I’ve always called Annabeth my sister, so I have two.” Jason shook his head affectionately. “Hey, I left my wallet in my room. Let me grab it before we leave.”

 _Perfect._ “Alright, I’m in no rush,” Piper replied, following after Jason as he went down the hallway. Her heart felt ready to explode when he pushed open his bedroom door.

“What the—” He spun around, eyes wide in surprise as he caught sight of the endless amount of balloons on his ceiling. “Did you do this?”

“Surprise?” Piper flashed him an uneasy smile, not sure if his wide eyes were a good sign or not. She could easily pass the blame onto Annabeth since he was less likely to be angry with his best friend.

He broke out into a huge smile, which calmed Piper down slightly, although the sight of him grinning made her heart do a stupid little tap dance in her chest. “I can’t believe you blew up all these balloons,” he laughed, reaching up and plucking a purple balloon from the ceiling. (Seriously, he didn’t even have to jump. Ridiculous.)

“Annabeth helped. I wasn’t strong enough to pull the helium tank in by myself and she has a spare key.” Piper shrugged nonchalantly, yet the way he was smiling at her made her feel on edge. In a good way. Always in a good way.

“You are full of surprises.” He let the balloon float back up again, grabbing his wallet from the table beside his bed. “I have no clue where we’re going, so I assume you’re driving.”

She pulled her keys from her back pocket, letting them dangle as she smirked at him. “Just a warning, I’m a fast driver,” she informed him, and when his eyebrows furrowed, she winked. “Don’t worry. I won’t kill you on your birthday.”

* * *

The look on Jason’s face was so priceless that Piper wished she would’ve gotten it on camera.

The reservation was under her name and he was blissfully unaware of the surprise until the hostess lead them into a private room in the back. That’s when everyone jumped out and yelled, “Happy birthday!” much to his surprise and for a second, Piper was halfway convinced that he was going to start crying.

There was Annabeth, of course, who was standing beside Percy. Leo would’ve been offended if he wasn’t invited, so there he was as well, standing on the other side of Percy. Since Jason and Hazel had hit it off so well at the swim hangout, she had been eager to be invited. Beside her was Frank, who was of course invited since he’d known Jason since they were kids. Then there were the boarding school friends who Annabeth had invited— a redhead named Gwen, a boy with dark hair named Dakota, and a blond named Bobby.

Jason’s blue eyes were shining, the widest smile Piper had ever seen on his face. His cheeks had a rosy tint to them and when he looked at her, the wind was knocked straight out of her. His smile looked like one straight out of a magazine and it was directed at her. The world around her got fuzzy and for a moment she forgot that she was in a restaurant surrounded by a mixture of her and Jason’s friends. Her vision tunneled and all she could see was him.

“Jace is an adult now!” Gwen’s voice snapped Piper from her staring and when she blinked, she noticed that Jason was blinking rapidly just like her. The redhead bounded over, just as short as Piper, but she ruffled his hair as if she towered over him. “Weren’t expecting that, huh?”

“Not at all,” Jason admitted, chuckling. “Did Annabeth put you up to this?”

“Nope,” Dakota said gleefully, crossing his arms as he smirked. “Well, she was the one to invite us, but that was it.”

When Jason’s head swiveled to look at Annabeth, she held her hands up as if she were surrendering. “I just helped. All of this was Piper’s idea.”

His blue eyes focused on Piper now and she was staring at him and she could feel Percy and Leo looking at her as well, but the world was falling away again and it was only her and Jason.

“You planned _all_ of this?” he asked, voice softer than usual.

She smiled, shrugging. “I mean, yeah,” she responded gently. “I told you that I’d make this your best birthday ever.”

He laughed again, shaking his head in disbelief. “Okay, okay, I keep getting surprises sprung on me. Is there anything else I should know about before I have a heart attack?”

“Well…” Piper flashed him a nervous grin, and he raised his eyebrows. She reached into her purse, taking out the folded paper she had stuck in there that morning. “Happy birthday, Jason.”

He unfolded the paper, eyes scanning the sheet for a moment. He audibly gasped, looking back at her with a _holy fuck_ type of expression on his face, which made all the shit he had put her through worth it in that moment. “You got me Dodgers tickets?”

“I mean, they’re my team too, so I wouldn’t say they’re only for you,” she teased, not wanting to acknowledge the fact that her cheeks were burning with heat. “Don’t act so—”

She wasn’t sure how he moved so fast because one second he was standing a bit away from her and the next he was _right there,_ his arms wrapping around her tightly. His heat radiated off of him, practically engulfing her in his warmth. She could feel his heartbeat against his chest and she noticed that he was so tall that he could put his chin on the top of her head if he wanted to. It took her a moment to realize that this was a hug, her heart beating in her throat, wrapping her arms around his torso, burying her face in his chest and inhaling just a little bit because _god, he smells like heaven_ and nothing existed other than the two of them in that moment.

It was then Piper realized that she was so incredibly beyond screwed because Annabeth was right— she liked Jason. She liked him more than she wanted to admit and there was no way that he liked her back because she was the exact opposite of what he wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i LOVE my kids, i will say that each and every chapter until i'm blue in the face but i love them and they like each other and i just.... adore them so much.
> 
> i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! i am afraid since now they are mutually ~in like~ that the following chapters will be disgustingly sweet, so fair warning. the song lyric for this chapter is BBBLUE by milk & bone.
> 
> thank you guys for reading! also, i am updating puck it in a few hours so if you read that, keep an eye open for it!


	13. Be My Friend But Secretly Like Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Piper said it'd be Jason's best birthday ever, she wasn't kidding.

Jason was so screwed.

All throughout lunch, he kept looking up, staring at Piper, studying her features as if he was at risk of forgetting what she looked like. Even though she was just across the table from him, he selfishly wanted her to sit next to him so he could talk to her. It’s not that he didn’t want to talk to his friends from boarding school, he just wanted to be closer to her.

He’d discovered his very unfortunate and poorly timed feelings for her a few days prior and ever since, she’d consumed his thoughts. He thought of her during all hours of the day, which was irritating in itself that it took him weeks of being an ass to realize that he liked this girl. It wasn’t like it was much of a surprise that he liked her— she was beautiful and kind and smart and snarky and he’d be foolish not to like her. He kept going to Annabeth, overly stressing over his feelings for her. He’d had crushes on people before, but this one seemed to overpower all other romantic feelings he’d ever had for anyone else. His emotions seemed to slap him in the face because they overwhelmed him so fast. Initial attraction was now full-blown infatuation. Her birthday surprises and baseball tickets made the feelings become even more intense, if that was even possible.

He must have been staring at her for too long because Dakota nudged him. “I didn’t think TMZ was right when they said you two were together,” he whispered as he popped a fry into his mouth. “She’s pretty.”

Flinching slightly, Jason shook his head rapidly. “We’re not dating. Just friends.” His voice sounded funny when he insisted that they were simply friends; they may have just been friends at that point, but what he felt for her definitely exceeded friendship boundaries.

Dakota snorted. “That’s a load of shit and you know it. He nudged Bobby, who was seated beside him, jerking his chin in Piper’s direction. “Jason says they’re just friends.”

Bobby laughed, but luckily the restaurant was loud enough that Piper didn’t hear. “You’re dumber than I thought, Grace.”

“Hey.” Gwen shot the boys a dirty look, shaking her head. Her eyes flashed to Hazel, who seemed to be listening into their conversation. “Don’t be mean to Jason on his birthday. And there are other people here, guys. Be mindful.”

“My lips are sealed,” Hazel murmured, eyes cast downwards as she ate her salad. From beside her, Frank looked like he was suppressing a smile.

Jason could feel his entire face go red. _Great, now my friends know,_ he thought, trying his hardest not to look at Piper from across the table. He looked everywhere and anywhere else. It was hard enough not to pay attention to her by any standards, but he kept hearing her voice as she bantered with Leo and all he wanted to do was watch her expressions when she spoke.

Gwen shot Jason an apologetic look. “Sorry. I thought that graduating would make them more mature. I was mistaken.”

“It’s fine. They’re allowed to have their own theories,” he answered, shaking his head as he took a sip of his soda.

“ _Theories?_ ” Bobby demanded, looking at Jason with an incredulous look on his face. In an attempt to be quieter, he leaned forward, hissing out, “Jason, the only people who don’t know that you and Piper like each other are you and Piper.”

“She doesn’t like me.” That was one thing Jason was absolutely sure of. She wasn’t a huge blushing mess when he spoke to her while he was reduced to a stammering fool every time she breathed. Plus, there was the whole issue that he had been a dick to her up until the past few weeks, which was a whole other story. But his friends didn’t know his life now— they knew junior class president Jason Grace, not the son of famous actress Jason Grace. He didn’t want them to know about his bitterness. They were from another reality of his. “It’s okay, though. Not a big deal.”

Dakota and Bobby exchanged a look.

“Leave Jason alone,” Gwen chastised, giving them a dirty look. As always, they listened to her, rolling their eyes and turning their attention back to their food. She looked up at Jason once more, giving him a soft smile. “Even if she doesn’t feel the same way, she seems to be a great friend who cares a lot about you.”

Jason couldn’t help it— he glanced up at Piper. She was laughing over something Percy said and her eyes met his. She flashed him a quick smile, brown eyes sparkling, before turning her attention back to Percy.

“Yeah,” Jason murmured, finding it hard to tear his eyes away from her. “You’re right.”

* * *

Annabeth had grabbed Jason’s jersey from his closet earlier that morning, so when it was time to leave for the game, she just handed it to him. She was donned in her Yankees gear, which seemed to horribly offend Percy. (“I told you, I am _not_ sitting by a Yankees fan!”) Percy grudgingly wore a Dodgers hat, claiming that they were his second favorite team behind the Mets. Leo wore his own jersey, to which he was excited about since both he and Jason were wearing Kershaw jerseys.

Then there was Piper and Jason swore he’d never seen someone look as good in a jersey than she did. She pulled her long hair up into a ponytail in her hat, the white and blue combo making her skin look so nice. He was so tongue-tied that Annabeth had to elbow him for him to realize that he was gawking.

For just a short second, he wondered if she’d look as good in his jersey as she did in that one, but the thought of that was powerful enough to give him a heart attack, so he tried his hardest not to think about that again.

They all piled into Jason’s Jeep, Piper claiming the passenger seat as her own ( _“when you guys plan something out like I did, you can get the front, too”_ ) while Annabeth, Percy, and Leo squished together in the back. They argued for the first ten minutes of the drive over what to listen to, which included lots of bargaining and an intense match of rock paper scissors. Finally they settled on early 2000s music, which seemed to please everyone, give or take.

It seemed to be the perfect California summer day— warm, sun shining, the faintest hint of a breeze. The traffic was awful, the Jeep crawling along the bumper to bumper traffic, music blasting, the five of them singing along, windows rolled all the way down.

When Jason glanced over at Piper, he saw she was looking back at him. She was moving her head to the bassline as she sang (her voice sounded like an angel’s, which was the worst part because she was beautiful and smart _and_ could sing well), grinning so brightly that his thoughts turned fuzzy and all he could think about was her.

“Thank you for all of this,” he murmured to her, quiet enough so the ones in the back wouldn’t hear. “I don’t think you know how much this means to me.”

Her eyes softened and she shook her head. “Don’t thank me. You only turn eighteen once,” she insisted, head still bobbing along to the beat of the song blasting from his speakers. “I love the Dodgers, too. I haven’t been to a game this season.”

He tried to think back to the last time he went to a game. He used to go as a little kid, back before he was sent away to boarding school. Thalia would take him. When she moved out, he stopped going to the games, instead watching them on TV, wishing that his sister was still home to take him. His last game must have been years ago.

“I haven’t been in a long time.” His fingers drummed on the wheel, letting his foot off the accelerator to allow the Jeep to creep forward as traffic continued to inch along. “So yeah, I have to thank you.”

When he risked another look at her, he could see her moving her head to stare straight ahead, lips pressing together as if she was suppressing a smile. It was probably his imagination, but he liked to think that he was making her smile. Better than what he used to do to her.

“I think everyone should be included in your private conversations,” Leo exclaimed, poking his head between the front seats. When he said that, Jason could feel his face heat up and he hoped that from where he sat prevented Leo from seeing the redness in his cheeks. “Don’t you agree, Percy? Annabeth?”

“You’re practically in my lap,” Annabeth grumbled and Jason could hear shifting from the backseat, Leo’s head vanished from beside him. “And you contradicted yourself. You said we should be involved in their conversation, but you also said they were private, which means we _shouldn’t_ be involved.”

Percy whistled beneath his breath. “She got you there.”

“She did not get me there!” Leo complained. “Stop defending her just because she’s your girl— _ouch!_ ” It sounded like someone slapped Leo. There was a scuffling noise from the backseat, Annabeth groaning as she leaned forward.

“Hey!” Jason said, looking into the rearview mirror. The two boys stopped roughhousing and Jason sighed. “I hate to be that guy, but it’s my birthday. Can you two not?”

They both glared at each other before bursting out laughing. Annabeth rolled her eyes and shot Jason a grateful look.

Piper was smirking, raising an eyebrow at Jason. “What?” he asked, flickering his eyes back to the road as the cars began to move forward, the flow of traffic speeding up.

“Nothing. Just admiring,” she answered simply, shrugging her shoulders just the tiniest bit.

This time it was Jason who had to suppress a smile.

The rest of the car ride was mostly quiet, everyone focusing on the music. Jason’s excitement really set in when they pulled up to the stadium, handing the parking pass to the worker and driving into the massive lot. It only took a few minutes to find a spot thanks to Piper’s purchase of a premium pass, the five of them emptying the Jeep. Since they parked so close, they didn’t have to rough the flights of stairs that most fans had to endure at the stadium. By the time they handed their tickets to the security guard, went through the metal detectors, and got inside the stadium, Jason’s anticipation made him feel like a kid for the first time in ages.

“Should we grab food?” Annabeth asked, pulling back the bill of her cap to look up at Jason. “I’m craving frozen lemonade.”

“The game doesn’t start for a while, we can get food and meet at our seats,” Piper offered. “Sounds good?”

The group agreed with her idea. Before Jason knew it, Annabeth and Percy went off, Leo trailing behind Percy, and he was alone with Piper. Well, not really alone since there were thousands of other people milling around, but alone enough. He felt the warmth in his entire body reaching the tips of his fingers.

“Frozen lemonade sounds amazing,” Piper commented. “Come on, birthday boy. Let’s get some grub.”

She started off in the direction of one of the many food stands and he followed closely behind her. He hadn’t been to a professional sports game in ages, though he didn’t seem to lack the skill of maneuvering through a crowd. As they passed another entrance, the crowd got even thicker. He was worried for a second that he would lose track of Piper, but suddenly she was right beside him and he could feel her fingers intertwine with his. He was sure that his palms were clammy and that she’d be able to feel his heartbeat like a drum. His mouth felt very dry and frozen lemonade sounded good all of the sudden.

“Mhm, nachos sound so good,” she muttered as they got into line. She was still holding his hand and he wondered why she was doing this— maybe she just didn’t notice? Whatever the reason, he had to admit that he was enjoying himself thoroughly. “Want to share with me? And fries?”

“Sure,” he agreed, trying not to look at her because he knew he was blushing.

They held hands up until the point when they got their food. They held hands as he paid (which she complained about, but he couldn’t even argue back because she squeezed his fingers and his heart felt ready to explode) and it was only when they were given their little paper trays that she pulled away. He wished that they were still holding hands and he tried to convince himself that it was all in his head, that the only reason she had held his hand in the first place was because the crowd would’ve forced them apart otherwise.

But his fingers still felt warm even after they made their way back to their seats for the game.

* * *

The game wasn’t so great. Being with Piper made up for it.

The Yankees ended up absolutely demolishing the Dodgers, much to Annabeth’s glee and Percy’s dismay. That should have put a damper on Jason’s birthday. He frowned and booed along with the other discouraged fans, which was the exact opposite of what he was feeling on the inside.

During the seventh inning stretch, Piper popped up, excitedly handing her phone to Leo, who sat beside her. “Can you take our picture?” she asked and even though Leo rolled his eyes, he held up the phone. Jason half expected for her to grab Percy for a picture, but then she was looking directly at him, raising her eyebrows. “Don’t leave me hanging!” He stood up and they allowed the baseball diamond to be their background, her arm wrapping around his torso and his arm around her shoulders and he was smiling so widely that he probably looked like an idiot, but it didn’t matter because she asked him for a picture and even though he was watching his favorite baseball team get crushed, everything for a second was okay in the world.

The most surprising part about the night was when two girls, presumedly fans of Tristan McLean, came up to Piper in between innings and nervously said hi. Jason had nearly forgotten that she was famous of some sorts until that moment and for the first time since the summer had started, it didn’t make him angry. He didn’t see her as some entitled girl who benefitted off her dad’s fame; she was Piper, the girl who had meticulously planned the day out to make him happy despite all of his efforts to push her away for weeks. The girls eyed him and one of them even said, “Hi, Jason,” with a weird grin on her face and then they were gone and he wasn’t mad that they had recognized him. Annoyed, sure, and a little tense, but he didn’t scowl or pout or throw a fit.

From beside him, Annabeth murmured, “Wow.” She was smiling. “You really are changing.”

He didn’t quite realize what a big deal it was until he glanced at Piper and she was sitting there with a huge grin on his face as well because he was the boy who had treated her like shit until she prompted him to be better, _do_ better. He think he smiled, too.

By the time the game ended, Leo was whining about how the loss put a damper on his reputation since his mom was an Astros fan (after the Astros beat the Dodgers in the last World Series, his mom would not let him live it down, or so that’s what he said) and that he needed ice cream to make him feel better. Percy agreed, still pouting, and Annabeth begrudging admitted that ice cream didn’t sound half bad.

Twenty minutes later, they were seated at a booth tucked away in the corner of a Denny’s a few blocks from the stadium.

Annabeth and Percy were obnoxious, flipping through the dessert menu and arguing over what to order. Apparently they had to share a dessert and when Leo joked about them acting like a married couple, they both turned red and Annabeth was quick to say, “We aren’t dating!”

“Yet,” was Piper’s snarky reply, smirking behind her menu so only Jason could see. He had to stifle a laugh as Annabeth glared daggers through the menu. Jason was too busy trying not to laugh that when Piper scooted closer to him in the booth, he nearly choked on his laughter because his heart was suddenly in his throat. “As annoying as they are, I really don’t want to eat my own dessert. Are you down to split a milkshake?”

“Yeah, sure.” His voice was a little raspy. Stupid cliché images of a milkshake with two straws consumed his mind. His palms were clammy all of the sudden, so he wiped them hastily against his jeans beneath the table. “What flavor?”

“It’s your birthday. You choose.” She grinned at him, the menu still popped up. “I personally wouldn’t mind a chocolate one.”

“Chocolate. Yeah.” He leaned in closer, gazing at the menu as well. “I think that sounds like a great idea.”

He doesn’t realize how close they were until Percy said, “Yo, lovebirds, the waitress is coming, I hope you’re ready to order.”

“Oh, fuck off,” Piper threw back easily, seemingly unfazed by her best friend’s teasing. Meanwhile Jason felt himself burning red. Again.

Jason didn’t miss Annabeth’s pointed look as Piper ordered for the two of them. Her grey eyes were wide, a shit-eating grin forming on her face and Jason silently pleaded that she wouldn’t say anything. He doubted she would since she respected his business, but then again she was known for going to great lengths to cheer him up. _Don’t,_ he thought, hoping that they were as connected as people thought so she would be able to read his mind. Luckily, she seemed to get the message because she mashed down her mouth into a hard line, leaning close to Percy and starting up another conversation. He was too nervous to sit still, fidgeting because _fuck, I like this girl so much_ and he was about to share a milkshake with her and she was so close and her hair was messy from wearing the cap all night and she smelled like honeysuckle and he wondered why the fuck it took him so long to suck it up and accept that the famous life maybe wasn’t so bad as long as she was apart of it.

Fortunately, the silence didn’t last too long. Just when it was started to get awkward, Piper sitting there very literally drumming her fingers on the table, the waitress came out with a big tray with three milkshakes on them. Annabeth and Percy seemed to take the whole annoying couple thing to heart, putting two straws into the glass to share. Leo went to town in the metal tin, spooning the milkshake into his mouth quickly. Jason thought for a second that Piper would also embrace the lovebirds jab, but she slid the glass to him and began to eat out of the tin much like Leo. He would’ve been a red-faced mess if she’d shared the glass with him, though he longed for her to stick the straw into the chocolatey goodness and make him all red-faced.

Even when the milkshake was long gone, Percy and Leo bantering about something stupid with Annabeth gazing up at her not-boyfriend with a look of adoration on her face, Jason ended up becoming a red-faced mess anyways.

“Did you enjoy your birthday?” Piper asked, looking up at him from where she leaned over, her cheek squished up in her hand, elbow propped up on the table. She looked insultingly adorable with her cheek puffing out and he didn’t even mind that he was staring a little too intently at him.

“I did. You were right, it was the best birthday ever,” he replied with a gentle smile. “I really can’t thank you enough, Pipes.” The nickname slipped out before he could stop it— he’d heard Percy and Leo call her it plenty of times now, plus it was cute.

She seemed taken aback at the sudden nickname drop, a small grin forming on her lips. “Well, this was the best birthday ever for me too and it wasn’t even my birthday. So I should thank you too.”

He couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the night. He wished that every day was as good as his birthday had been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter's song is take my hand by picture this! another sweet song for these idiot kids in love!
> 
> thank you guys for reading this and the rest of my works! if you didn't read it yet, chaoter 2 of puck it was dropped this past saturday and yesterday i uploaded a dark!jason one-shot that are up. read it if you guys want/have time.


	14. A Million Other Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper's mom and sister are both convinced she's dating Jason. Trust me, she wishes she was.

For the first time since that summer began, when Piper was trending on Twitter again, it was something that made her smile. Smile was kind of an understatement, Percy claimed, since she was absolutely beaming for the rest of the night.

In Denny’s, she’d decided to take a risk and post the picture she’d taken with Jason at the baseball game. She captioned it  _ the dodgers sucked tonight but today didn’t. happy birthday you old man!  _ And of course since Jason was in it, the picture blew up. TMZ confirmed for what felt like the thousandth time that they were together, only that the picture proved it even more. There was no fear anymore. Who cared if people thought they were dating? A boy and a girl could be friends. (Okay, so Piper liked him more than a friend, but she could try and ignore that since their friendship was so great.)

The next morning, she woke up decently late, her phone blowing up again. She went onto Instagram to find out that Jason had posted the picture himself (his first post in nearly three months, may she add) with a caption that made her heart do a relay race.  _ Suddenly I like my birthday a lot more. _ She nearly screamed into her pillow. She’d never been this boy-crazy, or rather people-crazy, before. The awkward middle school giddy crush phase hit her at age seventeen instead of age twelve and she wasn’t even mad about it.

Not only did they post the pictures, but they also texted nonstop that day. Usually texts with a topicless conversation bored her to no end, but they talked about everything— how they felt, the things they were doing, and random thoughts that struck them throughout the day. He sent her a picture of the tattoo he got, which she called manly, and he told her that he would take her for her first tattoo when she turned eighteen, an indicator that he wanted to keep her around until February. The thought of being around Jason for months made her giddy.

“You are absolutely disgusting,” Percy insulted her over the phone. “And you told me I was gross with Annabeth. This is a whole new level of nasty.”

“I still think you two are worse,” Piper shot back.

“Okay, maybe,” he conceded. “But you didn’t even admit you liked the guy until now!”

She felt her cheeks flush up because sure, she didn’t admit it to herself until yesterday at the birthday lunch, but looking back on the past few weeks, she’d definitely felt something earlier than yesterday. The real first pivotal moment she could trace her crush back to was waking up from the nap with him and the first moment she probably started developing feelings for him was the night at the Thai restaurant. She’d just been burying the feelings because she was afraid to like him. He had been dangerous territory, the son of Hollywood’s comeback starlet, so naturally the odds of their environment were stacked up against them. It was them versus the world. Plus, there was the bigger problem of him not liking her back. Percy and Leo were both convinced that he felt the same way, but she knew better; he was a nice guy who had gone through some bad shit and was now trying to make it up to her by reciprocating friendship. There was no way she was getting her hopes up— she would harbor this crush and keep her giddy thoughts to herself and Percy. (Leo was not about to hear anything or the teasing would never end.)

Not only were there issues stacked up against them in the outside world, but there was also the issue of maintaining their image. Neither Mellie or Athena were particularly thrilled at their suddenly highly publicized friendship. Rumors had been one thing, paparazzi shots another, and now it reached an all-time frenzy with both Piper and Jason acknowledging each other on social media. While the agents couldn’t technically tell them what to do, since they did represent their parents only, they didn’t hide the fact that they discouraged their behavior since they weren’t dating. 

Still, she couldn’t stop thinking about Jason Grace and his blue eyes and the scar on his lip and the way he looked at her when he was driving to the baseball stadium.

Their schedules conflicted, so on the third, he took the liberty of third wheeling with Percy and Annabeth and Piper went to visit her mom. Her mom had a meeting in LA and decided to take Piper out to lunch afterward, which meant she had to socialize with the woman who had given birth to her yet was hardly a true motherly figure.

Aphrodite Olympios was, in a way, an enigma. She got a running start with her fashion career at the young age of seventeen. At eighteen, she had her first daughter, Silena, with a chocolate shop owner. Everyone was convinced that the end was near, but Aphrodite only expanded her fashion empire. By twenty-one, her relationship with upcoming Hollywood star Tristan McLean made headlines. By twenty-two, Piper was born. Her parents didn’t work out; her mom was too busy running a fashion empire to take care of her daughters. Now she was a multimillionaire, her outfits ruling fashion weeks across the globe, all while training Silena to take over the company eventually.

Even though their relationship wasn’t horrible, summers spent in Paris and Mykonos nearly forcing a bond, Piper felt as if she didn’t know her mom. She still referred to her mom as Aphrodite (not to her face, of course) and she didn’t really know Silena. Still, she loved her mom and sister in a weird  _ we’re related _ type of way and she was excited for her vacation later that month.

They went to a cute cornerside restaurant, Aphrodite insisting that Piper had to try the seafood pasta, which introduced awkward moment one since she forgot that her daughter was a vegetarian  _ again, _ but then she ordered for Silena without skipping a beat, yet another reminder of the not so pleasant side of Piper’s usual okay life.

“So, sweetie.” Aphrodite pursued her cherry red lips as she sipped her iced tea, careful not to smudge her lipstick. With her flowing dark brown hair, big caramel eyes, and brown skin, she looked like some kind of goddess. Well, she was Greek, but it was pretty insulting that she looked like a fucking Greek  _ goddess. _ “Some little birdy told me that you’re dating a certain famous blond.”

It took Piper a few moments to realize that her mom was referring to Jason. “Jason Grace?” she asked blankly. “Oh, uh, no. Not dating. We’re friends.”

Silena flipped her perfect black hair over her shoulder. Piper’s half-sister was her own version of a goddess, her black hair a stark contrast to her dazzling blue eyes. As she raked her fingers across her bangs, her engagement ring sparkled— she finally got engaged to her longtime boyfriend, some guy named Charlie who was  _ swoon-worthy _ as she gushed to Piper last Christmas. As she played with her hair, looking like some sort of model in a shampoo ad, she said, “Your post on Instagram definitely says otherwise, Piper.”

“Friends,” Piper emphasized, stabbing a piece of lettuce in a salad with a little too much force, making the fork clunk hollowly against the bowl. “A girl and a guy can be friends without dating.”

“Girls, girls,” Aphrodite chided, laughing lightly. Her hoop earrings swung as she moved her head, looking back and forth between her daughters. “Relax. Silena, you know how TMZ can be.”

“Not from personal experience,” Silena said. Piper always forgot that Silena wasn’t as well-known as her; while she was bound to take over a multimillion dollar company, wasn’t always recognized by paparazzi. “But yeah, I know.” She looked over at Piper, grinning. “Even if he isn’t your boyfriend, that can change! What are you waiting for? He is  _ crazy _ hot.”

“You’re engaged.” The words sound bitter coming from Piper’s mouth. It was pointless being jealous, but her half-sister was utterly gorgeous and thought that Jason was hot. It was stupid since Silena was engaged and was in no way interested in a freshly turned eighteen-year-old, though that didn’t stop the heat in her cheeks.

“I can still admire,” Silena insisted, rolling her eyes. “And he’s too young for me, Piper. Relax. I won’t go after your man.”

“He’s not my—”

“Silena, leave your sister alone,” Aphrodite chastised, though there was no mistaking the hint of a smile on her face. She shook her head, looking back to Piper. “You’re going into your last year of high school, that’s crazy! Are you interested in any schools in New York?”

“I’m not sure.” Truth be told, Piper had been researching schools close to her mom briefly. She was nearly convinced now that she wasn’t going to go east for college, but she wasn’t about to get her mom’s hopes up. “Still looking.”

“I go to that  _ amazing _ fashion design school in Queens, I’d really check it out,” Silena piped up. “You could live with mom.”

“I don’t think I want to major in fashion design.” Piper shrugged. She’d never wanted to major in that— that domain was her mom’s and Silena’s. She’d told them every year since she was eleven that she wasn’t interested in the fashion industry, which seemed to be forgotten each time the three of them were together.

“And that’s alright.” Aphrodite seemed unbothered, taking another calculated sip of her tea, careful to not the straw mess up her perfectly applied lipstick. “There’s always NYU. They have so many majors, and the commute wouldn’t be too awful.”

That was one school Piper had looked at when Percy brought it up to her a few years back. Before he chose marine biology as his definite major, he toyed around with other career options. Since he was from New York, he always contemplated going back. When he selected marine biology, he knew that he’d be screwing himself over by leaving California. He’d still researched NYU and Piper had looked into it for herself since it had what she wanted to major in as well.

Again, not wanting to crush her mom’s hopes, she said, “NYU is amazing. I’ve looked into it.”

“Charlie went there.” Silena beamed. “He loved it. I can tell him to send you some information about it, if you want.”

“Sure. That’d be cool.” Piper grinned. Even though she wasn’t considering NYU anymore, the gesture was nice nonetheless. She may not have known Silena too well but her older sister was always kind whenever they saw each other. “How’s the wedding planning going?”

“Oh my god.” Silena got a dreamy look on her face. “Beyond amazing, Piper. We’re doing a beach wedding, of course, since we met on the beach, so I think we’re securing a private beach in Hawaii. And I’m thinking pink for the bridesmaids—  _ oh! _ Piper, you  _ have _ to be a bridesmaid!” There was a shine in her blue eyes that surprised Piper. “You’re my sister, you  _ have _ to be in the wedding. Which means that you have to meet everyone else. You’ll love Katie, she’s fantastic, and then there’s Clarisse. She’s my maid of honor, she’s a little rough around the edges, but once you get to know her, you’ll love her. Oh my god! Mom, the next brunch we have, Piper has to come!” She swiveled her head back and forth between her mom and her sister, a huge smile on her face. “It’ll be next summer, so you’ll be graduated, which is good!”

Piper may not have known her sister too well, but the bridesmaid gesture was sweet. If she was in Silena’s wedding, that was a guarantee that they would have to spend time together, which meant that she would actually get to know her sister. “Really? I mean, only if there’s room for another bridesmaid. I don’t want to mess anything up.”

“Please!” Silena waved away Piper’s concern. “I only just asked Katie last week if she wanted to be a bridesmaid. Clarisse is a given because we’ve been best friends since we were kids. You’re only the third person I’ve asked. You’re my sister and I would be honored if you were in my wedding.”

“I mean…” Piper felt warm all over. “I’d love to.”

Silena practically squealed, clapping her hands. “Perfect! And,” she leaned forward, lowering her voice with a gleeful smirk on her face, “make sure you bring Jason as your plus one.”

Piper rolled her eyes. “We are  _ friends, _ it’d be kind of weird to drag him to Hawaii for a wedding,” she argued.

“He’s rich, he can afford it,” Silena pointed out. “Okay, fine, maybe you don’t have to bring him to the wedding. But I do want to meet this boy.”

“As do I,” Aphrodite added. “Do you think he’d ever take up modeling? He has the perfect face for fashion week.”

“No, I don’t.” Piper almost wanted to laugh at the thought of Jason walking the runway. If he hated this life now, he would surely hate it if he had to be involved in NYFW. “He, uh, isn’t interested in modeling. I could always bring it up to him, though.”

“Perfect!” Her mother beamed, tapping away on her phone. “Maybe if we really convinced him to, we could squeeze him into the London show at the end of the month…” She gazed at Silena, who nodded rapidly.

_ The London show at the end of the month. _ Wait. Piper’s eyebrows pulled together. “I thought you had shows in Paris and Florence at the end of the month,” she said slowly, the statement sounding more like a question. “Remember? The trip we’re going on?”

Aphrodite’s eyes widened slightly. As Silena ducked her head, her mother sighed. “Piper, sweetie, that’s why I’m here for the meeting. There was a little, ah,  _ hiccup _ with those two shows. I decided I couldn’t allow my line to walk those runways. I’m going to go to a show in London instead. I’m sorry, honey. I was so excited to go to France and Italy with you.”

“Oh.” The trip Piper had been looking forward to was not going to happen. She’d been to Paris nearly every summer for years now to the point where she was practically fluent in French, but she’d never been to Italy. She’d been prepping for the vacation for six months now. It was the one big event occurring before her senior year and she could feel the disappointment flood her body. “I understand.”

“But I’m not here just to tell you that I can’t go.” Aphrodite smiled kindly. “You shouldn’t miss out just because I’m not going. You can bring a friend with you.”

At that, Piper perked up. “I can still go?” she asked suspiciously. When her mom nodded, she hesitated. “And I can bring a friend?”

“You’re turning eighteen in a few months. I don’t see a big issue.” Her mother shrugged. “I already talked to your dad and he’s fine with it. And I’d understand if you didn’t want to go to one of the locations, so just let me know by the weekend if you want me to change flights or hotels or anything. I would hate to cancel the trip for you when you’ve been so ready for it.”

It sounded almost too good to be true. “I mean, if you insist…” was Piper’s hesitant reply, which made her mom break out into another huge smile as she began gushing about her newly arranged London show.

_ You can bring a friend with you. _

* * *

Finding a friend turned out to be harder than Piper realized.

The first person to pop into her heart was Percy— he was eighteen, hence legal in Europe, and they’d never been on a real trip together. (Her and Leo had gone to Miami when they were thirteen with Esperanza while Percy had to spend part of the summer with his dad.) Plus, he was about to leave for college, so Piper thought that’d be a nice  _ welcome to college _ gift.

When she called him and asked, he sounded apologetic when he said, “I really wish I could, Pipes, but my dad’s coming into town that week. I promised I’d see him. Sorry.”

Next on her list was Leo, which was already a messy idea since they were both seventeen. Still, she was sure if he went, they could make it work.

“You should’ve asked me a few days earlier,” was Leo’s whiney complain. “I could’ve taken time off. I’m scheduled to work that entire week.”

Who else could Piper ask? She wracked her brain, groaning as she stared at her ceiling, wanting to go on this trip with someone, anyone, but her two best friends were both busy the week she was supposed to go and there was no one else she could think of.

Well, there was one person she thought of. It almost guaranteed TMZ attention as well as disapproval from the agents and then there was the question of her own self-control. Would a trip halfway across the globe make tensions rise within her?

Her own need got the best of her. She went into her contacts, scrolled down until she stumbled upon the person she wanted to talk to, pressing the call button easily, holding the phone to her ear. Her heart was more erratic than usual, nerves getting the best of her. She wasn’t nervous to talk, no, but the question she was about to ask was a little more complicated than most questions she asked.

“Hello?” He answered after the sixth ring.

A smile forced its way onto her lips and it felt like an electric current ran through her body, winding through her veins and speeding up her heart. Here was the middle school giddiness hitting her several years too late.

“Jason.” As always, she managed to collect herself enough to sound perfectly calm even though just the sound of his voice excited her. “You said you wanted to go to Rome, right?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song for this chapter is a million other things by pronoun!
> 
> things are heating up, kids. i loved writing this because piper is such a lovesick teen and so is jason and .... wow i love them. they're nerds in love who don't even realize it.
> 
> till next chapter! thanks for reading!


	15. Hit Me With Lightning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This whole 'meet the parents' thing is so much worse when you're not actually dating.

Jason wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he asked his parents if he could go to Europe for a week with a girl he’d only known since the summer began. He definitely expected confusion and questioning. He didn’t expect his parents to say yes.

By parents, he meant his mom. His dad always delegated minimum parental duties to his mom and judging by her own life choices, she sometimes wasn’t the most motherly. Then again, it could’ve been that for the first time in ages, Jason was truly content and although his mother never asked about it, he felt as if Beryl had a feeling that it was because of Piper.

His mom didn’t need so much convincing. She said he could go. “You’re eighteen now, have your fun,” was her response.

A week in Europe with Piper McLean. Now he was convinced that this was too good to be true. In a matter of weeks, he went from being an unhappy asshole to practically flying on top of the world. Annabeth called it _young love_ and he was in too good of a mood to argue with her.

A few days after his parents said yes, after Piper had rearranged their entire schedule so they would spend the entire time in Rome rather than stop at Paris and Florence, his dad called him downstairs after dinner. He wasn’t sure what to expect; his dad never gave him the time of day. What was he going to say? Bug Jason about college again? Tell him that there was some irrelevant reason he couldn’t go to Rome? Take his anger out on him? The possibilities were endless.

Instead, his father looked at him and said matter-of-factly, “I want to meet this girl you’re going to Italy with.”

“You want to meet Piper?” The disbelief in Jason’s voice was clear.

“Of course. We should have her over for dinner. Is she free tomorrow night?” His father didn’t seem to notice the shocked look on Jason’s face. “What should we cook?”

“Um…” Jason blinked heavily, his head spinning as he tried to grasp what his father had told him. “She’s a vegetarian. So something without meat.”

“Perfect.” His dad went back to his stacks of paperwork as if nothing had happened, leaving Jason reeling.

When he called Piper after going back to his room, her surprise was just as evident in her voice as his had been. “Your dad wants to meet me?” she demanded incredulously. “What the fuck, okay. Tomorrow. Okay. I can do that. I think.” The surprise was not the only clear emotion in her voice— he could hear the tinges of panic.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked. “Don’t freak out.”

“Too little, too late,” she shot back. “Jason, your _dad_ wants to meet me. You told me about your dad. If he doesn’t like me, I’ll probably be shipped off to boarding school or a third world country or something.”

The flippantness of her comment set Jason aback. He processed the joke for a few moments, trying to recall everything he’d told her about his dad. Too much, he assumed, since her comment was spot-on.

“Fuck, that was really bad.” Piper sounded even more panicked, a forceful laugh meeting Jason’s ear through the phone. “I’m sorry, that was stupid, I shouldn’t have said—”

The laughter came a little too late, but Jason chuckled nonetheless. He was well aware that he had interrupted her apology and for a second, he could feel the cycle turning again. She apologized for something stupid, and for the first time, he wasn’t angry.

“No, you’re absolutely right,” he assured her. “Look what he did to me. He didn’t like me and I ended up in boarding school.”

She was silent for a few moments. He wondered if the panic got too much to her and she spontaneously combusted, but her quiet voice assured him that so far she was still able to speak. “If he did that to his own kid, I can’t imagine him being a big fan of me. I mean, it’s not like I’m related to him or anything.”

“Hey.” Jason clutched his phone a little tighter. “Listen to me. He may not be a great guy and have a horrible sense of judgment, but he’s an idiot if he doesn’t like you.”

“Okay.” She didn’t sound convinced.

“And…” He swallowed back the nervousness he was feeling, hoping not to reveal his mind-consuming crush on her. “It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t like you. I like you.”

Another beat of silence passed and he thought that he had massively screwed up. _She’s going to tell me that she’s not taking me to Rome anymore,_ he thought. _She knows about my huge crush on her and is freaked out and will never talk to me again._

“Thank you.” Her voice was softer than he expected. He had to strain to listen to her. “Okay, phew, I’m calm now. I swear I’m calm.”

This time he wasn’t so sure about her being calm, but she sounded grateful and that was all that mattered.

* * *

_jason what the fuck do i wear_

_is your dad fancy_

_I’M NOT FANCY_

_pls pick up ur phone i’m a mess_

_ok fuck u i found an outfit thanks for nothing u asshole_

_i’m on my way, gonna kick ur ass when i’m there_

The texts from Piper made him grin, even as he shot her a text back to apologize for his lack of a reply. He’d been in the shower, not wanting to look like a complete fool next to Piper. (Well, that was always the case, but he wanted to look a little better than usual so he could look like he belonged to be friends with her.) Truth be told, he was just as nervous as she had claimed to be yesterday.

The only thing that reassured him in the slightest was that his mom would be there. Usually the thought of his mom didn’t cheer him up so much, but he knew for a fact that she liked Piper. That meant the only person to win over was his dad. The rational side of him was nearly completely sure that his dad would love Piper; she was a sweet girl with good morals and an attitude that would’ve fooled anyone— nobody could tell that she was the daughter of two multimillionaires. Plus, she made him happy, which should be enough for any parent. But unfortunately, his dad was not like most parents. (Man, Jason was really starting to sound like her boyfriend.)

He had some time to kill before Piper arrived, so he took his sweet time getting ready, which in reality did not take long. He pulled on the white collared shirt he had worn for Annabeth’s graduation, rolling the sleeves up to his elbows since it was July and decently warm outside. That was as fancy as he was getting, grinning as he shook his head. Of course Piper would assume his dad was fancy; anything with the Grace named attached to it was assumed to be fancy, although Thalia was constantly proving otherwise.

After pulling on a pair of jeans and making sure his hair looked okay, he went downstairs. His dad hadn’t arrived home yet, Piper wasn’t due for some time, so he sat on the couch and flipped to a random channel. It was summer football, and he tried to pay attention. His mind kept drifting to the fast-approaching meal he was about to have. The thought of his parents and Piper in one room was overwhelming, and even overwhelming felt like a massive understatement. They were flip sides of Hollywood— his parents were the result of Hollywood gone wrong while Piper was one who didn’t let fame dictate her life. It was going to be an interesting dynamic.

About fifteen minutes after Jason came downstairs, his dad came home. He had the same grouchy look on his face, which was expected, but then he asked as if he was actually interested, “Is your girlfriend here yet?”

“She’s not my girlfriend, and no,” Jason replied. He wished she was his girlfriend; the way he felt about her made him want to date her, except a one-sided relationship wasn’t what he wanted. “She’s coming from Malibu so there’s probably traffic.”

His dad nodded, going upstairs as he always did when he came home. Jason turned back to the TV, relaxing again as he focused as best as he could on what was happening. A delicious smell was filling the air and he was growing hungrier by each passing moment. He almost forgot about what the dinner was going to entail when his phone buzzed, a text from Piper telling him that she had arrived.

“Piper’s here,” he called out, standing up and approaching the door. “I’m gonna go open the gate for her, so be ready when I come back,” he said as he opened the door.

His mom called from the kitchen, “Okay, honey!”

He slipped outside, closing the door behind him. It was a warm summer evening, the sunlight golden as the sun began dipping towards the horizon. There was the slightest of breezes, just enough to move the tops of the palm trees. Luckily there hadn’t been big fires yet that summer, only one up north, so the sky was clear as day, not a hint of smog. It was a beautiful day and he stood for a moment to appreciate it before walking towards the driveway. He was surprised that her car was already parked beside his Jeep, having expected to open the gate for her.

As her door opened, he laughed lightly, telling her as he walked closer, “I forgot for a second that you’ve been here before and Annabeth told you the gate code. I was so confused—” That’s when she stood up and he saw her. His heart leaped into his throat and he couldn’t speak anymore, his voice faltering.

Her hair fell in waves down her back, the front stands pinned away from her face. She was wearing a dress, nothing too elegant, just a simple flowery blue and white dress with a knot against her chest, which tied the entire thing together. Rather than the Vans she always wore, she was wearing sandals. As she shut the door behind her, he noticed that her fingernails were freshly painted— blue, the same color as the flowers on her dress. She glanced up and he noticed how there was a shine on her cheekbones. He blinked, realizing that she was wearing makeup. He tried to recall a time he saw her wearing more makeup than just mascara and he couldn’t think of an instance. Her lips were a soft pink, the same color as the sky at sunset. She was beautiful. Completely and utterly beautiful. His brain felt like it short-circuited because he couldn’t even form a sentence to compliment her, so instead he just stared.

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “What, is there something on my face?” she asked teasingly.

“No,” he croaked, shaking his head. “You look amazing.”

It could’ve been his imagination, but he thought her cheeks turned a shade darker. “Not as good as you,” she replied, losing the playful edge to her voice.

He stepped closer, flashing her a smile. “Ready?” he asked her.

Her smile faltered the tiniest bit. Her hand reached up to her ear, fiddling with the silver piercing she had on her cartilage. “Do you think you can help me take this out?” she murmured, not meeting his eyes. “I have a few too many piercings.” Her fingers tugged gently against the silver jewelry lining her ear, the sunlight catching them just right so they were shining.

“What? Why?” His eyebrows furrowed. “You don’t have to take them out.”

“Your dad is the CEO of one of the richest tech companies in the country. I need to make a good first impression,” she said dryly. “I can’t come in looking like some wild child.”

“Have you seen my sister?” he demanded, and she wrinkled her nose. “She got her nose pierced at fourteen. I doubt my dad will care about a few piercings.”

“Thalia’s his daughter. I’m taking you to Europe. It’s a little different.” Her voice sounded detached. Scared. He’d never seen her like this before.

He sighed slightly, shaking his head at her. He stepped even closer, telling her, “Your appearance doesn’t define you. _At all._ If my dad doesn’t like you the way you are, he can fuck off.” He was surprised at the fervor in his own voice.

That seemed to do it. She blinked, also seemingly shocked by his choice words, a tiny smile forming. “Okay. I’m ready,” she assured him.

They made their way to the front door, which was closed, and he stood there for a moment as she prepared herself. He tried not to pay too much attention to the deep breaths she was taking. He wasn’t exactly sure why she was so nervous; had she met her other friend’s parents before other than Percy and Leo? He didn’t have a definitive answer to his own question. Whatever the reason, she was nervous and he had to be there for her. He waited for a few heartbeats more before opening the door, allowing her to step inside before he followed, closing the door after them.

“Hi, Piper!” Jason’s mom was setting down a glass pan on the table. Her blonde hair was tied back in a bun, looking tired after another long day of filming, but happy nonetheless.

“Nice to see you again, Mrs. Grace,” Piper greeted kindly, walking alongside Jason as he headed to the dining room.

“Please. Call me Beryl.” His mom waved off the name, smiling. “Mrs. Grace makes me sound so old.” She looked up at Jason, a pointed look in her eyes. _Oh, boy._ She hadn’t been much of a mom up until very recently and now she was embracing it— the look she was sending him was one of motherly encouragement. “Jason, why don’t you ask our guest what she wants to drink.”

“Mom—”

His mom cleared her throat, still smiling. “Jason.”

Piper looked like she was suppressing laughter. “Water sounds good,” she murmured, looking at Jason with sparkling eyes. She was thoroughly enjoying Beryl’s orders. “Thanks.”

He sent her a look, shaking his head slightly, which caused her giggle to slip out. She tried to cover it with a cough as he walked into the kitchen, grabbing a glass for himself and her. He came back to the table, setting the glasses at two of the table settings. Giving his mother an exasperated look, he pulled a chair out for Piper to sit.

“Thank you. You’re too kind,” was Piper’s gleeful comment as she sat down.

He rolled his eyes, leaning forward as his mom went to grab the salad, whispering in her ear, “You’re enjoying this a little too much.”

“That’s my job,” she hissed back, batting her eyes at him. If she wasn’t so damn cute he would’ve replied, but his heart was in his throat again and he didn’t want to sound like an idiot in the midst of his mother.

As Jason sat down, half-convinced his dad decided not to come downstairs, his father walked into the room. He still had on his suit, prim and proper as always. Piper clearly stiffened in her seat, his eyes narrowing in on the girl. “You must be Piper,” he said simply, deep voice booming.

“It’s a pleasure, Mr. Grace.” Despite practically shaking in her seat, her voice was even.

He sat down across from Jason, looking at the pan. “What’s this?” he asked as Beryl returned with the salad.

“Potato, broccoli, and cheese casserole,” she replied. She winked in Piper’s direction. “No meat. I got this recipe from the new Chrissy Teigen cookbook.”

“It smells delicious,” Piper complimented, flashing another dazzling smile at Beryl. For some reason, Jason’s chest felt warm.

His mom served everyone before sitting down. The first several minutes was silent, awkward tension so thick that Jason could cut it with a knife. He saw how stiff Piper was sitting in her chair, hand wrapped a little too tightly around her fork as she complimented the cooking. He wished that it wouldn’t be weird to reach over and put a hand on her thigh in a silent way to tell her to relax, except that was risking crossing the boundary between friend and boyfriend, and he knew that was a line he would never even approach. She was too good for him so there was no way he would risk a move like that.

“So.” At the sound of his father’s voice, Jason looked up. But his eyes were not on his son, they were on Piper. “Piper.”

“Yes, sir?” If Piper was nervous, she didn’t let her voice reveal that.

“What do you do?” The question was vague, and Jason’s own confusion was reflected on Piper’s face as she knit her eyebrows together. “School wise, of course.”

“Oh.” Piper smiled, shifting slightly. “I go to a private school outside of Santa Monica. I play soccer and volleyball.”

Beryl seemed excited, stopping herself from taking a bite of her casserole as she beamed at Piper. “Did Jason tell you he plays soccer too?” she asked.

“He did.”

“He’s amazing, he’s been playing since he was a little boy. He’s goalie,” his mom stated proudly. For the first time in a while, Jason had his first bitter monologue: _You say that as if you’ve actually been to one of my games._ “But he’s better at baseball.”

Piper’s eyes flickered over to Jason for a moment. “I bet. Once his season starts, I’m hoping to go see him play.”

Jason couldn’t hide his surprise. He looked at her, eyes widening. She willed another look, looking like she was suppressing a smile. He was sending her a silent question: _Really?_ He might have imagined it, but her eyes seemed to be answering him: _Really._

As always, his dad seemed to swoop in and ruin everything. _Way to keep a theme going, Dad._ “What do you want to do after high school?” he asked.

If Jason hadn’t probed Piper for personal information all those weeks ago at her house, he wouldn’t have known that such a simple question could be so intrusive. It seemed like a lifetime ago that he was standing outside with her, not being able to get a real answer out of her. He’d tried to ask the same question several times over the course of the past few weeks, still unsuccessful despite how close they had become suddenly. He could see the way her smile didn’t seem too genuine anymore, blinking as if shocked at the question. She wiped her hands against her dress nervously and he wondered if her hands were clammy. Surely she’d been expecting something like this from his parents— adults always seemed overly interested in college plans. Why did she seem so shaken? Was it because it was his dad, the guy who had sent him away? Was it because she knew clearly how Jason resented him?

Without thinking things through, Jason reached under the table, taking her hand closest to him and grabbing it. He intertwined their fingers, his entire body warm because he couldn’t believe he had the courage to do this. They’d held hands on his birthday as they made their way through the crowd at the baseball game, but this was different. This gesture was one of comfort in his house in front of his parents because the two of them were crossing the Atlantic together and everything felt so very real at that moment.

She inhaled, not looking at him. She seemed to collect herself, looking less panicked and calmer. To his utter surprise, she squeezed his hand, keeping their fingers interlocked in her lap. “I’m not sure,” she answered finally. Luckily he’d been quick to hold her hand so the response time hadn’t been too long. “I have some things in mind, but I still have some thinking to do.”

“Do you want to go anywhere in particular?” Beryl asked.

When Piper squeezed his fingers again, he carefully scooted his chair closer to hers, keeping their fingers intertwined. He rubbed circles on her thumb knuckle, not even caring that her palm was clammy. “I want to stay in California. I think I’m gonna apply to a bunch of schools,” she replied. “But like I said, I still have decisions to make.”

Even though they asked less personal questions for the rest of the night, Jason didn’t pull his hand away and neither did Piper. They held hands for the rest of the meal.

* * *

By the time the food was eaten and Jason was leading Piper outside, he was certain that she’d impressed his parents.

She, of course, was still a nervous wreck. Right when he ushered her outside, closing the front door behind him, her shoulders drooped, a lock of hair falling from its pin and falling into her face. “Holy shit,” she muttered. He stopped, watching as she sat on the top step of his porch, legs extended as if they hurt her.

“You okay?” He sat down next to her, his knee brushing against hers. As he sat beside her, he got an eerie sense of déjà vu; he remembered the time she had arrived at his house to make sure he wasn’t angry with her and they sat on the porch. The memory made him want to smile, but his attention turned back to her as she answered him.

“I feel like my head is going to explode.” She gave a breathy laugh, wiping her palms against her dress again, the same movement she’d been doing consistently all night. A nervous habit of hers, he guessed, since this was the first time she’d outwardly been nervous around him. “Your dad is scary.”

“Tell me about it.” His answer was accidentally short, the trace of bitterness undeniable. He winced, not wanting to revert back to that Jason— the Jason who was mean to strangers just because their dad was famous. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to act like my old self again.”

“No. I definitely understand your moodiness now.” She gazed at him, the softness in her brown eyes making him want to melt. “He’s intimidating as hell.”

“Try being related to him,” he joked dryly. “He’s a real joy.”

“Your mom wasn’t too bad,” she offered.

He sighed, not wanting to admit to her how draining the dinner had been for himself. He realized that the reason that he was doing so much better was because he spent most of his time away from home now. Being back in his parents’ presence with her was exhausting— it was nice to have her there as a reminder that Hollywood didn’t always doom young people, yet his parents seemed to be the perfect example of how corrupt stardom was. All night he’d been dragged back and forth between the person he knew he was and the person who’d succumbed to the anger. But he didn’t want to tell Piper this. She thought he was doing better and he intended to keep it that way. All he had needed to do was get through this dinner. He would be a better person in Europe, thousands of miles away from his parents.

“She’s okay. Anything better than her being drunk.” He looked up, squinting in an attempt to see the stars. When the sun went down, the smog rolled in, only the brightest of stars shining through the haze. “They loved you.”

“They did not.” She sounded shocked. “Your dad didn’t even smile.”

Jason scoffed. “My dad doesn’t even smile at _me,_ Pipes. He liked you just fine. They did tell you to enjoy yourself with me in Rome, didn’t they?”

She was quiet, staring down at her feet. When she looked back up at him, she was grinning. “God, I was afraid I’d fuck up and say something and your dad would tell me to find someone else to take with me.”

He couldn’t help it; he laughed. “I’m eighteen now, I can make my own decisions,” he said curtly. “Nothing’s stopping me from going to Rome.”

“Good. You’re the only one who’s dumb enough to tag along with me,” she teased, smirking at him.

“Dumb enough?” He raised his eyebrows. “So you’re saying that you asked people other than me?”

“I only asked Percy and Leo. They’re my family, I had to ask them first,” she defended herself. “Don’t get all pissy. I know you would’ve asked Annabeth first if you could bring a friend.”

For a second, he almost agreed with her. Almost.

“I was right.” She grinned smugly at his lack of a response.

“Yeah, yeah.” He gently nudged her knee with his own. “I’ll let you believe that.”

He wasn’t sure how long they sat out there for, just talking and laughing. He told her all the monuments he wanted to visit while in Rome, and she told him how excited she was— apparently Italy was one country she’d been wanting to go to for ages but had been unable to until now. The more they talked about their vacation plans, the more excited he got.

By the time she stood up to leave, he was getting tired; granted, he did enjoy sleeping early to wake up early, but she seemed to be wide awake still.

“You don’t have to leave,” he murmured, coaxing her to sit for just a moment more. He didn’t want her to go. “We can keep talking.”

She simply shook her head. “I would, but you look like you’re about to crash, Sparky.”

His lips curled up into a smile, blinking heavily up at her. “Sparky?”

“Yeah. Sparky. Cause you’re electrifying.” She smiled as if her comment made all the sense in the world, not seeming to notice that he blushed at her compliment. “Get inside before you fall asleep out here.”

He hauled himself to his feet, more tired than he originally thought. He stifled a yawn as he watched her walk back to her car, and he called out to her, “Pipes?”

She turned around, arching an eyebrow at him. “Yeah?”

“You didn’t have to be nervous.” He stuck his hands in his pockets, watching as she tilted her head at him. “Thalia likes you and her opinion is the only one that matters to me. And I get it, he’s my dad so it’s important to you, but even if my dad didn’t like you, it wouldn’t have changed the fact that I like you.” He was surprised that he was brave enough to risk the friendship boundary; it was probably because he was so tired that he had no filter.

He thought that she was trying to fight back a smile. Then again, it could’ve been his sleepy imagination implanting thoughts in his head. Shaking her head, she said just loud enough for him to hear, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Jason.”

As he walked inside, he smiled and shook his head. Rome was going to be an issue for him because if she kept this up, he was going to spill his feelings for her since it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to act like they were _just friends_ — he was going to tell her the truth and he wasn’t sure if he wasn’t afraid of the denial anymore or if he was too tired and too infatuated by her to think straight. He thought it was the latter; he was going to wake up tomorrow with the same fear in the pit of his stomach over the thought of telling her the truth.

His parents were on the couch, watching some old movie. He was about to go to his room when his dad called out, “Come here, son.”

He nervously walked towards them, worried about what they were going to say. “Yeah, Dad?”

It took a few moments for his father to turn around, but when he did, he nodded once. “Piper was a lovely girl. She’s good for you, Jason.”

Jason’s heart swelled and for once, he didn’t feel any resentment towards his dad. “Yeah, I know,” he murmured, his cheeks hurting from the massive smile that had formed on his face.

When he finally went upstairs and got into the refuge of his room, there was a text waiting for him: _thanks for holding my hand, probably would’ve cried if u didn’t._

He decided right there and then that he was going to hold her hand again. He wasn’t sure when or where, but he was going to do it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi friends! the song for this chapter is starry eyed by you me at six!
> 
> due to a family emergency, i will be flying across the state tomorrow and won't be able to update on saturday, so unfortunately you guys won't get chapter 16 until next wednesday :( but thankfully chapter 16 is the longest chapter in this story, so hopefully the wait will be worth it! i hope you guys understand!
> 
> as always, check out my tumblr for more content and thanks for reading!


	16. Feels Like We're Something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feelings? Piper has a lot of them. (And it's getting distracting.)

July usually felt like one of the longest months out of the year. Heat waves made the days feel like weeks and although being on vacation was a dream come true, no school meant that there were no set schedules, which meant Piper would fall asleep at ungodly hours and wake up past noon. The month of July was filled with poolside naps, the smell of sunscreen, popsicles, and days at the beach.

This year, July seemed to be a hazy rush, the days slipping by as fast as heartbeats. There were still poolside naps and the smell of sunscreen and popsicles and days at the beach, but there was also the blond boy with sky blue eyes who was by her side as the month went on.

Usually Piper spent her days with Percy and Leo, the trio hanging out wherever was convenient for them. This summer introduced two blondes to the dynamic, which was a little weird at first, but as the days passed and the afternoons only got warmer, the more comfortable it was. Jason and Annabeth managed to find their place in their group, the five of them getting along fairly well. There were moments where they contemplated inviting Frank and Hazel to tag along, but they just were discovering how to handle themselves as a group of five; seven people would be a bit overwhelming.

The blondes were originally a bit taken aback by the relationship Piper had with her boys. They hardly had to vocalize their thoughts for them to understand each other. Their conversations consisted of inside jokes and slang, which was difficult to understand for any outsider. When Percy and Leo began to argue in Spanish, Piper could see how Jason and Annabeth gave each other a wide-eyed look, clearly not expecting the language change. The newcomers had a heart attack when the dark-haired trio pulled out their skateboards, riding down the streets of Santa Monica, and when Leo tumbled off, taking Percy down with him, Annabeth looked like she was going to faint, only rolling her eyes when Percy burst out laughing as he looked down at his skinned knees.

Despite the initial apprehension, the days were filled with laughter and grins and sunburnt cheeks and tan lines and the ocean breeze and corny jokes and stargazing. It was straight out of a teen movie and for once, Piper didn’t mind the cliché aspect of it. She wanted to freeze her life and keep July on repeat.

When Annabeth’s birthday rolled around, she had a small party at her house. Obviously Percy was invited, and since Jason and she had practically been raised together, Piper was as well. Even Leo showed up. There was a few of the boarding school friends— Gwen, Dakota, Bobby, among others. It was a laid-back party, the best part of the night when Annabeth opened Percy’s present, which consisted of some architecture book, a beautiful silver bracelet, and a UC Santa Cruz shirt (“just so you don’t forget about me at Stanford!”). She leaned over and kissed him, and Piper swore in that moment that she’d never seen Percy so happy.

Of course, she was a little selfish, hogging Jason the entirety of the party. While he spoke to his friends, she was there, and he made it a point to include her in every conversation he had with his friends. They were friendly, making her feel welcome, and she was thankful for that because sometimes she felt like an outsider in new conversations. When she felt a flicker of guilt for staying at his side all night, she noticed how when she went to go talk with Leo that he followed. Returning the favor, she made sure to include Jason in the conversation, and anyone who didn’t know them would be fooled into thinking that they’d all been friends for years, not that she’d known the guy for a month and a half.

It was a little crazy how their relationship had evolved in the past several weeks, going from enemies (dramatic, much?) to friends to now… _something._ There had to have been a word for it. She thought long and hard between their nonstop text conversations and their spontaneous phone calls and the days spent on her couch with a movie playing and their second attempt at surfing and the rides in his Jeep with the windows all the way down, struggling to sum up her relationship with him in a word. The longer she thought about it, the more discouraged she got— there was only one word for it.

_Unrequited._

There was no way that he liked her back. None. He was just a nice guy and Annabeth was busy with Percy, so naturally he looked for other friends. After all, his life couldn’t revolve around one person. That’s where Piper fit in; she was the friend he needed to adjust to his highly publicized life. That was it. Her crush was definitely unrequited. How could a boy go from resenting her for her upbringing to having a crush on her? The answer was simple: it was impossible.

Percy, however, wasn’t convinced in her argument. “Piper, you’re an idiot,” he informed her as he laid on her bed, watching as she folded clothes into her suitcase for her trip. “Do you really think that he doesn’t like you?”

“He doesn’t.” She rolled her eyes at him. “I’m a good friend, yeah, but there aren’t romantic feelings.”

“And you always said _I_ was the dense one,” he deadpanned. “All of us know that you guys like each other. We’ve known it since his birthday.”

His birthday was certainly when she’d realized that she liked him, sure, but that didn’t account for the fact that he didn’t like her. She shook her head, responding, “He doesn’t like me back.”

“Whatever,” was Percy’s mumbled reply, shaking his head as he went onto his phone.

Percy wasn’t the only one convinced that there was something going on; her dad also suspected that they were dating. One night after they watched a movie at Piper’s, the second Jason left out the front door, her dad asked, “Boyfriend causing you trouble yet?”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Piper answered exasperatedly. She’d been asked this question more times than she could count ever since the dating rumors began and it was a bit tiring to have to continuously deny dating suspicions. “We’re just friends, Dad.”

His smile was soft and by the shine in his eyes, she knew that he didn’t believe her. “Pipes, honey, just be careful in Rome, alright? I trust you two, but if things go a little too far, you can always run to the store and buy a box of—”

She suddenly knew where the conversation was going, face blazing with heat. “Dad!” she cried, voice cracking.

“I know you’ve heard this before, but if you’re going to have sex, you’re going to have to be safe!” He held up his hands defensively, acting as if giving his daughter the sex talk about a boy who she wasn’t even dating was the most normal thing in the world. “When you get back from Europe, you’re going to the doctor and going on birth control, okay?”

“ _Dad!_ ” She hid her face, and her embarrassment must have rubbed off on him because he didn’t mention Jason again.

Truth be told, she had thought about Jason in that way. When she saw him with his rolled up cuffed sleeves when she ate dinner with his parents, she was plagued with incessantly dirty thoughts about him, making her crush on him so much worse. He was gorgeous and she liked him, forcing her mind to create fantasies about what could potentially happen if he were to like her back. Sometimes she would stare at him when he wasn’t looking and she could almost see images of his lips slamming into hers, could almost taste his tongue in her mouth. The thoughts had been bad enough when her crush began, and now her dad’s talk with her made them occur more frequently. She hoped that she would have enough self-control to resist while they were alone for a week in a foreign country. Their trip was practically an invitation to jump his bones, but she’d be foolish to think that anything would come out of it.

As July neared its end, the day of the trip finally arrived. Luckily the flight was at night, so Piper got to relax for most of the day, double and triple checking her luggage to make sure she had everything she needed— plenty of clothes, her ID, money, passport, all of her necessities. She texted Jason multiple times as well to make sure he was packed properly and he assured her repeatedly that he was also fully prepared with everything he absolutely needed as well as things he might need. He was excited, this she could decipher through his texts. As per usual, he used perfect punctuation and grammar, but his texts were littered with rare exclamation marks, which made her smile. This was the person she’d fought for weeks, the person she’d been eager to talk to about their experiences growing up with a parent under the watchful eye of the media. He was here and she liked him more than she ever expected to.

A little before seven that night, Jason arrived, wearing a student council shirt for his boarding school, the sleeves a little too tight to the point where the shirt flattered his biceps. He looked so casual yet so nice and it was an inopportune moment, but all she could think about was the fantasy of his tongue in her mouth, which made it a little hard to concentrate.

“Have everything you need?” her dad asked as she rolled her suitcase into the foyer. “Do you need money? Anything else?”

“No, I have my credit card,” she replied, adjusting her backpack straps. “I’m alright, Dad.”

He looked worried, pulling her into a hug. “I know. It’s just I won’t see you for a few weeks,” he mumbled. Two days from now he would be on his way to North Carolina with Beryl to film the final scenes of the movie. “Be careful, alright? I love you.”

“I will, Dad. I love you too.” She pulled away, grabbing the handle of her suitcase.

“Jason.” Her dad gave Jason a look, eyebrows pulled together. “Take care of my girl, alright?”

“Dad!” Piper could feel her cheeks turn red.

“I will, sir. Don’t worry,” Jason promised, shaking her father’s hand before opening the door for her. He was a true gentleman, taking her suitcase from her to put into his Jeep. He opened up the door for her, closing it before coming around and hopping into the driver’s seat. Again, she thought about kissing him mercilessly as he put the keys in the ignition, pulling out of the driveway.

“Sorry about my dad,” she murmured as he pulled onto the freeway. “He’s usually not _that_ embarrassing.”

Jason laughed, shaking his head. As he merged into the fast lane, he glanced at her for just a moment. “Don’t apologize. He loves and cares about you. If I had a daughter who was going to a foreign country, I’d be worried about her.”

“I’m very capable of handling myself.”

“Oh, I know you are. You’re probably more capable than me.”

She smiled, knowing he was probably just saying that to boost her confidence. “And even if I wasn’t, I have you to protect me,” she teased.

“That’s what I’m here for.” He flashed her a heart-stopping grin.

_Dear God or gods or universe or whatever, please give me strength._

The hour long car ride to LAX consisted of Piper playing rap music and Jason eagerly talking about the trip. She thought she stared at him a little too intensely, watching as the sun made his hair look like pure gold and reflected hues of orange off his face. The hand he was using the steer with was angled in the right way so she could see the tattoo on his forearm, the black Roman numerals a distraction because this muscular blond boy seemed way too proper for a tattoo, yet it fit him perfectly.

_Right on, Piper, keep staring. Go on and drool while you’re at it. It’s not like you’ll be able to do anything more than stare._

After shamelessly spending the entirety of the drive staring at him, they finally arrived at LAX. As always, it was busy, the flow of traffic significantly slowing down. It was during times like this that Piper appreciated that Jason was a good driver, on the offensive as he switched lanes to drive to the terminal they needed. He pulled into the correct parking structure, pulling into a spot before climbing out. “I need to go pay,” he said, sighing since the prices were outrageously expensive. (Not that it mattered considering both of them had more than enough money to go around.) “You can start unloading our stuff and I’ll come back and help.”

She nodded, climbing out of the car, noticing how the air was getting a bit colder. She took her jacket from her backpack, pulling it on and zipping it up before putting her arms through the straps of her backpack once more. As she opened the trunk and got her suitcase out, Jason came back, slipping the parking pass onto his dashboard. He made his way beside her, grabbing his own suitcase and backpack.

“Do you have our boarding passes?” he asked as he opened his backpack, taking a folded black hoodie out. He tugged it over his head, reemerging with messy hair. She resisted the urge to run her fingers through the strands.

“Yeah.” She handed him his boarding pass as he smoothed out his hair with his free hand. “You ready?”

“More than I’ll ever be.” He gave her an excited grin, grabbing his own suitcase as he readjusted his backpack on his shoulders. “Come on.”

Her brain switched into hyperdrive at his smile, noticing all the small details. The hoodie he pulled on was black except for the small lightning bolt on the breast and the blue words in harsh bold font across the back— Struck By Lightning, the name of Thalia’s band. She quickened her pace to keep up with him, unable to stop from glancing up every few steps to see his smile. His eyes were shining with anticipation, which made her heart do a little dance in her chest.

Once they made their way from the parking structure into the airport, Piper got on edge. LAX was media central. She pulled the hood onto her head in an attempt to hide her face, gripping her suitcase handle a little tighter.

Jason noticed her sudden change, glancing at her with concern. “What’s wrong?”

“We’re in LAX. We can get noticed easily,” she murmured, getting in line to check in her suitcase.

“Oh.” His eyebrow pulled together, grabbing his own hood to pull on his head as well. “You think they’ll recognize us?”

She shrugged, noticing how he sidestepped a little closer to her. “They might. You can never be too sure.”

His blue eyes, which had been nothing but kind towards her for the past few weeks, scanned the airport. Nobody was giving them a second glance. Yet. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, he placed a hand on her lower back, the action almost protective. “We’ll be fine,” he insisted firmly, looking down at her. Although his eyes were cautious, he smiled, his scar twitching as his lips moved.

Her heart felt ready to burst from her chest. She glanced at his lips for a moment too long and she hoped that he didn’t notice how her eyes lingered. “Yeah.” Her voice was more controlled than she anticipated, thankfully, since she obviously didn’t want him to connect the dots and realize how crazy she was about him.

Once their bags got their appropriate tags and were sent off to the correct terminal, Jason removed his hand from her back. She hated how she felt empty without his touch, but she bit down on her bottom lip in order not to pout. He faltered as soon as they made their way towards security, looking unsure for a moment.

“Security’s this way,” she informed him, and he nodded.

“Thanks. Haven’t been here in a while.”

There was the slightest trace of bitterness decipherable in his voice, probably mulling over the thought of lost vacations due to his dad’s failure to be present and his mom’s alcoholism. The tone would have annoyed her if this was a month ago, but now she was head over heels for the guy and all she could feel was sympathy for him. “It’s okay, now you’ll know where it is,” she replied tentatively, wanting to take his hand. If she wasn’t in paparazzi central, she would have.

Luckily they didn’t spend too much time in security; Aphrodite had made sure the tickets were precheck. They quickly ended up on the other side, lines of small restaurants and stores lining the building. Jason appeared tired, so he dragged her over to the dimly lit Starbucks. He ordered himself a small coffee, and as they waited for his order, he put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. Her entire body felt warm and her brain clawed for any excuse to why he was touching her. _He’s probably tired and needs some support. He’s probably cold and needs her body heat. He’s probably..._

None of the excuses fit the bill, sending her into a panic. She considered texting Percy for a moment to freak out over this touch, which seemed so casual to him, but she resisted from doing so. She bit her tongue and allowed herself to internally panic.

The waiting game began after Jason got his coffee, the two of them selecting seats tucked in the corner by their terminal. They had a little less than an hour to spare before boarding, so Piper went on her phone to take an inconspicuous photo of her feet, her backpack laying beside her Vans. She uploaded the photo onto her Instagram story, along with words typed above her feet: _see ya later la!_

It wasn’t until Jason went to grab them some food that she saw his own Instagram story— a photo of the ground as well, except her left foot was in the photo. There was no caption, rather just the location pinned to the picture. Anyone who had the right mind would be able to piece two and two together.

Jason came back with fries for them to share. They ate mostly in silence, the two of them scrolling through her phones before their flight. The fries were finished and soon enough they were called to board. First class boarded first, which he seemed a bit hesitant about, but she didn’t allow her confidence to falter. She showed her boarding pass and ID to the TSA agent, and he followed suit. In no time they were boarding, anticipation ripping off of him like waves.

Their seats were in the front of first class, two large seats with TVs looking more comfortable than any other airplane seat. He sat down at the window seat since she insisted that she’d been on enough flights to know what the sky looked like. She sat down beside him, their arms pressed up against each other. She wondered if he could feel the energy between them like electricity, but he seemed unaffected.

Before they took off, he reached into his backpack, pulling out AirPods. She couldn’t resist not reacting, raising her eyebrows at him. “Really?”

He looked at her, blue eyes blinking in confusion. “What?”

“AirPods. That’s a new status symbol for rich white kids.”

His eyebrows pulled together and he grinned. “I am a rich white kid.”

“About time you embraced it,” she teased.

He scoffed, putting one of the AirPods in, handing the other to her. “Wanna share?” he asked. “I promise that I won’t bore you with my music taste.”

Naturally, she had to give him a hard time as she slipped the earbud into her ear. “I hope I look cool now,” she joked as he scrolled through his Spotify.

Scoffing again, he selected a playlist. The action was so fast that she swore for a moment the playlist’s name was _Piper_ , but his phone was locked by that point and she didn’t want to ask him because she was nearly sure that she saw it wrong. The first song that played was a soft song, the only instrument backing the singer a guitar. It was a love song, she thought; a love song about someone who wasn’t sure if the other person liked them back.

She found it hard to breathe normally after the song ended.

Most of the songs were love songs, she noticed as the flight attendant went over the safety procedures as the plane began to move onto the runway. The demonstration ended, the plane building speed. There was a tug in her stomach as the plane lifted into the air, her ears popping as they begin their crawl into the sky. Jason’s attention was completely devoted to the window, and she couldn’t help but to look as well— LAX became a dot of light beneath them, the city unfolding like a flashlight in the night.

The song changed again. It was another love song with a tinge of sadness.

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but when she fell asleep, her head was resting on his shoulder, curled up against his side. He had pushed back the armrest so there was no barrier between them now. She was pretty sure she was holding his hand, but the love songs were playing and sleep forced her eyelids shut and she was suddenly asleep.

* * *

Twelve hours later, the plane touched down in Rome. Piper was almost positive that her legs had been reduced to two lifeless growths, which Jason laughed at, stretching as the plane door opened. Despite the fact that both of them slept for several hours on the flight, there was something about crossing the globe that brought on a whole new level of exhaustion. As they made their way off the plane and into the airport, struggling to find baggage claim, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, groaning out about how hungry he was and how he couldn’t wait to sleep in an actual bed.

_Breathe, Piper. He’s just tired._

It was seven in the evening the following day, the time difference making them lose nearly an entire day in the air. Piper made a mental note to buy some sleep medicine from a store so jet lag wouldn’t affect them too much, although judging by Jason’s incessant yawning, she was worried that he was going to suffer regardless of the medicine. By the time they arrived at baggage claim, he leaned against her, arm still wound tightly around her. She kept her body still, trying not to allow herself to freak out. As they waited for their luggage, she sent texts to her dad and her group chat with Percy and Leo, letting them know that she landed safely.

 _Buy condoms!_ Leo sent back.

 _;)_ was Percy’s only response.

“Idiots,” she muttered.

“Hm?” Jason gave her a quizzical look.

“Percy and Leo.”

He nodded, a look of understanding passing over his face. “Ah. Makes sense.” He blinked heavily, standing up straight as luggage started to appear. “How’re we getting to the hotel?” he asked as he grabbed his suitcase.

“There’s a shuttle that takes us into the city,” she replied, grabbing her own suitcase as it appeared behind Jason’s. “It’s a thirty minute drive.”

His frown formed immediately. “I’m exhausted _and_ starving,” he complained. “And the shuttle is going to take thirty minutes out of our night?”

“Hey, relax. We’ll get to the hotel, you can shower and I’ll order room service,” she assured him, the two of them making their way over to the shuttle station at the edge of the airport. “My mom told me that the hotel has incredible food.”

“She’s stayed there before?” He trudged along, the two of them arriving just in time to catch a shuttle into the city.

“Mhm. She loves it.” Piper was the first to make her way onto the crowded shuttle, finding two seats in the center of the bus. It was hard to navigate her way down the row with her suitcase, but she managed to do it, sitting with her suitcase pressed against her legs. Jason plopped down beside her, their legs pressed against each other. She didn’t even try to ignore the hum within her own body at his touch. “What should we do tomorrow?”

“Explore?” He rubbed his eyes as the shuttle lurched from the curb, pulling away from the massive airport. “I don’t know.”

“Our hotel is close to Vatican City. We could go there one day.”

“Maybe. I’d love to see the Colosseum or Trevi Fountain.” He grinned and even though he was evidently exhausted, she thought he was more handsome than ever with his heavy eyelids and his hair messy from their long flight. “I’ve always wanted to throw money into the Trevi Fountain.”

“We can totally do that tomorrow, then.” She pulled out her phone, searching up the tourist information about all the landmarks that Jason had mentioned seeing over the past few weeks. “Did you bring your walking shoes, Grace?”

“I thought you were gonna carry me,” he joked, leaning over and resting his head on her shoulder, his soft hair tickling her neck.

She hoped that he wouldn’t be able to see her blushing. “Leo is one thing. I don’t think I can carry you around Rome.” She continued to look through her phone, checking the walking distances between her hotel and the tourist areas.

His laugh was heavy, drawn with sleepiness. He didn’t reply to her, and as she continued to look through her phone, his breathing became heavier. She couldn’t help it; she smiled, his face relaxed with sleep. They were on a shuttle in Europe and he was asleep on her shoulder. Nothing seemed to be real anymore. Maybe this was some dream of hers because she didn’t deserve something this good.

For a tiny, fleeting moment, she wondered if there was some part of him that liked her too.

He remained fast asleep on her shoulder until the shuttle arrived at a small station, only opening his eyes when she nudged him awake. He blinked several times, yawning as she stood, grabbing the handle of his suitcase. They carefully got off of the shuttle, and suddenly he didn’t seem so tired anymore as his blue eyes widened, captivated by the bustling city around them.

As if she were a cheesy tour guide, she announced, “Welcome to Rome.”

He laughed, shaking his head in amazement. “Holy shit,” was the only thing he said. He looked at her, and for just a millisecond, she wondered if her fantasies about kissing him were going to come true. Instead, he pulled her into a hug with his free arm, the other hand still gripping the handle on his suitcase. “Thank you.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“It’s a huge deal.” His voice was sincere, burning with gratitude. “I don’t deserve this. You’re too good of a friend to me.”

 _Friend._ Piper tried to ignore the sudden lump forming in her throat. _Friend._ The mental image of her kissing Jason was gone as quickly as it had appeared in her head. “Yeah, I know.” She meant to sound like she was teasing him, but instead her voice was short and brittle, stinging with rejection.

His eyebrows knit together. “Is everything okay?” he asked worriedly, pulling away, keeping his hand on her shoulder to keep her an arm’s width away. Maybe the bitterness in her voice had been too noticeable because he rarely caught on to her emotions.

“Yeah, just tired.” Her response was clipped and she ignored how he continued to stare at her with concerned eyes. Her eyes strayed to her phone, mapping their hotel from their location. “Our hotel’s just around the corner, so let’s go.” She walked off before making sure he was after her, gripping the handle of her suitcase so tightly that she was surprised her knuckles weren’t stark white.

He caught up within moments, matching her pace. He didn’t say anything for the first few moments and she hoped when he glanced over at her that he wouldn’t ask her what was wrong again. Instead, he asked, “Are we still ordering room service?”

“Yeah. I’m too disgusting to go out anywhere.” Her eyes flickered between her phone screen and the passing buildings, trying to find their hotel. It was somewhere on this street, that much she knew, but she still felt like an outsider in this world.

A moment of silence passed, the only noises coming from the buzz of the city around them. “I, for one, think you look fine,” he informed her matter-of-factly.

“Thanks.” She didn’t take this compliment to heart. She knew now for a fact that there was no way in hell that he liked her back so there was no point in getting excited over his comments. “I think we’re here,” she said, slowing as she checked the address on the towering building in front of them.

This time it was Jason who spoke shortly. “Okay,” he mumbled.

 _Fuck._ If this how the rest of the trip was going to be, she knew she didn’t have to worry about her self-control anymore.

* * *

Once they got into their hotel room, Piper wanted to scream.

There was one bed. She gripped the key card a little too tightly as she stepped inside the hotel room, feeling heat rush all the way up to her ears when she saw that there was only one extravagant king sized bed in the center.

As Jason stepped in behind her, he stopped in his tracks. His voice was a little softer than usual when he said, “Oh.” He cleared his throat, the tension in the air so thick that she could practically taste it. “Did you know that this was a, uh… one bed suite?”

“No. My mom knew, though.” She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that she had developed magical powers to make the bed divide into two because if they had to sleep together she might actually die of embarrassment. Unfortunately, the bed remained intact.

“I mean…” He appeared more flushed than usual, scratching the back of his head. “It’s big enough so we don’t have to touch. Or we can ask for a room change with two beds.”

“No, it’s…” She inhaled, trying to settle the sudden swarm of butterflies in her stomach. “It’s fine. Really.” She walked over to the bed, unfolding the blankets stacked among the pillows. When she moved the blankets, silver little squares tumbled out. Frowning, she leaned forward, picking one of the squares up.

“What are—” Jason’s question stopped mid-sentence, his face turning bright red.

“Oh my fucking god,” Piper groaned, feeling her own face heat up. “My mom must’ve asked the hotel to supply this room with condoms.” She quickly gathered them up, an entire handful _(Jesus Christ, Mom)_ as she put them in the top drawer of the bedside table. “She thinks she’s being funny or a good parent or something, but that’s not even funny, we’re just here as—”

“Hey, relax. It’s okay.” He put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. “Why don’t you go shower? I’ll order room service.”

She shook her head, unsure if she wanted him to touch her or not. She was still feeling the heaviness in her chest from him clarifying that they were indeed only friends, but that didn’t change the fact that she still had a crush on him. “No, you were tired. You should shower first. Plus, apparently I have to call my mom now. ”

“Piper.” His voice was steady, a weird edge to it which made her look at him. While his eyes were steely, there was a gentle smile on her face. “I’ve got it covered. You shower first. You can, ah, talk to your mom about her… gift later.”

The appeal of a hot shower after a twelve hour plane ride was too tempting to pass up. “Okay,” she agreed, putting her suitcase on the ground and unzipping it. She dug through her clothes until she found her pajamas and a clean pair of underwear, remembering at the last minute to grab her razor as well. Clutching the fabric to her chest, she made a beeline to the bathroom, her cheeks still blazing red from the condom discovery. It wasn’t until she stripped naked and stood under the stream of hot water that she had a chance to think.

 _Friend._ The word kept resonating in her mind, her thoughts haunted by the way he so casually solidified the fact that he was her friend and would be nothing more than just that. She squeezed her eyes shut, tilting her head up towards the water, wishing she could go down the drain. She’d been an idiot for thinking that by falling asleep on her shoulder, it meant that he had a crush on her. She was an idiot. How could Jason Grace, a god among boys, like her? She’d been fooled into having false hope momentarily. For a second, she thought that she was so disappointed and upset that she could cry. But Piper wasn’t a crier; no boy would ever make her cry. Especially not a boy who certainly didn’t do anything wrong. Feelings couldn’t be forced. She had no reason to cry or be angry. This was what she’d been expecting, after all. And judging by his face when she’d found the condoms, there was no way he even remotely thought of her more than a friend.

When her skin was beginning to get pruny from being in the shower for so long, she hastily washed her hair and body, only taking her time while shaving. She was careful not to cut her legs, shutting off the water after what felt like an eternity. She grabbed the fluffy towel hanging outside of the shower, wrapping it tightly around herself. Hoping that Jason didn’t think that she purposely took a long shower to avoid him (which she kind of did), she dried off, pulling on her pajamas before exiting the bathroom.

Apparently she’d been so long in the shower that room service had already delivered their food. Jason was sitting on the edge of the bed, eating what looked like a panini. He looked up as she brushed out her hair, grinning, pointing to the plate sitting on the nightstand. “I got you a veggie sandwich. It has cheese and avocado. I tried asking for tofu, but I don’t think that’s a thing here.”

She gratefully grabbed the plate once she had finished brushing her hair, eating the panini a little faster than she would’ve liked— she didn’t get to savor it since she was so starving. Once she had eaten it, she realized how tired she really was. Before she could succumb to her sleepiness, she felt pressure on her leg.

“Go brush your teeth before you pass out,” Jason suggested. “Plus I need to shower.”

“Alright, alright.” She managed to get up, with great difficulty, trudging over to her suitcase to grab her toothbrush and toothpaste. She took her sweet time brushing her teeth, so tired that this task was an actual effort. By the time she spit out the toothpaste, Jason entered the bathroom, his pajamas in hand. Before she rinsed out her mouth, she mumbled, “Sorry, one sec.”

“Are you okay?” He leaned against the counter, watching her intently as she rinsed out her mouth. “Like, really. I know you said you were, but you don’t seem completely okay.”

She didn’t want to launch into her embarrassing _I got friend-zoned by you_ pity story, so she said, “I’m just exhausted.”

He still didn’t look like he believed her, but he must’ve known that she wasn’t going to budge, so he sighed, shaking his head. “I’ll shower fast so we can get to sleep,” he promised as she walked out of the bathroom. “I’ll be five minutes tops.”

The bathroom door clicked shut, and as Piper climbed into the bed, wiggling beneath the thick comforter, she could hear the water running from inside. As she fluffed up her pillow, her thoughts went awry, hyper-aware of the fact that just behind the door, Jason was showering. He was showering without clothes and she already had a self-control issue and the vivid thoughts of his tongue in her mouth were suddenly so vivid that her entire body felt warm. She tried to close her eyes, hoping to rid her mind of these overly realistic thoughts, but it was no use. The thought of Jason in the shower was a little too much to bear and she knew the more she thought of it, the more it hurt because she was reminded of the fact that she was his friend and nothing more.

It must have been more than five minutes, or she was just more tired than she thought, because the next thing she knew it, the mattress dipped. Blinking, she saw that the lights were off and when she turned, eyes struggling to adjust, she saw that Jason’s hair looked silver in the dark.

“Did I wake you up?” he whispered, frowning. “Shit, I’m sorry. Go back to sleep.”

She tried to reply, but all that could manage was a quiet grunt, eyes slipping back shut. She was too tired to be upset over the fact that he didn’t like her back and all she could think about was sleep at that moment.

It may have been her imagination, but she felt a feather-like touch against her head, caressing her hair, and Jason’s voice was the last thing she heard before she was pulled underneath the waves of sleep: “Goodnight, Pipes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song for this chapter (and the next one) is who we were with by paradise fears!
> 
> hi guys! sorry for the week long wait, i had a bit of a family emergency, but i'm back now and updates should remain as scheduled for the foreseeable future! 
> 
> thank you all for your kind comments! next update is this saturday!


	17. Something That's Lasting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When in Rome...

When the morning rolled in and sunlight streamed in through the cracked curtains, Jason came to. For a moment, his mind was perfectly blank when first gaining consciousness, as it usually was, and when he saw the small chandelier on the ceiling and could hear another person breathing, he realized where he was.

He was in Rome.

The simple fact that he was in the city that he’d dreamed of visiting for years was enough to energize him for the entire day. He climbed out of bed, noticing how Piper was still sound asleep, getting dressed and brushing his teeth before grabbing the menu. Since he didn’t want to wake Piper, he decided to order room service again for breakfast. Maybe that would put her in a good mood.

Last night, for whatever reason, she’d been closed off, which was definitely unlike her. Usually Jason was the one to shut people out and it felt weird being on the other side of things. He wasn’t sure how to handle it and she denied that anything was wrong. He should’ve expected radio silence on her end, considering that she wouldn’t even tell him what she wanted to major in or do with her life after high school, but since they had gone to Europe together, there had been a tiny flicker of hope within him that she would open up. Unfortunately, that had not been the case. Then she found the condoms that her mom had instructed the hotel staff to leave, which embarrassed her to no end considering the fact that she didn’t like him. There was, of course, the fact that he liked her, but a one-sided infatuation meant that the condoms would be unused even though her mom meant well. It wasn’t like Jason wanted her for just sex, not at all, but he’d be a liar if he said he hadn’t thought about it.

By the time room service arrived with their breakfast, he heard a soft yawn, turning around to see Piper’s disheveled head of hair lift from the pillow. Her eyelids were heavy, and as she yawned again, he thought that she was just about the prettiest thing in the world.

“I got you a cappuccino,” he informed her with a small smile, worried that any action would set her off again. That was the last thing that he wanted to do. “Just to wake you up.”

“Thank you,” she groaned, still blinking heavily even though the room was still relatively dimly lit. “I definitely need some caffeine. Let me go brush my teeth first.” She crawled off the bed, slowly making her way into the bathroom, and he smiled fondly at her Spiderman pajama bottoms and baggy UCLA shirt.

“Do we have a plan for today?” he asked casually, scrolling through his phone at the weather. It was going to be ninety degrees with humidity, which sounded just as pleasant as drinking straight lemon juice.

“Mhm.” She held up a finger from the bathroom, toothbrush in her mouth. She brushed vigorously for a few more seconds before spitting into the sink, rinsing out her mouth. As she walked back into the room, grabbing her cappuccino, she said lightly, “The Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon are pretty close to each other. We can definitely see those today.”

“Perfect.” He was so excited and even though she knew, he didn’t want to let her in on how excited he truly was. He could spend days talking about the history they were surrounded by, how centuries ago the Romans raided the streets, the different important monuments everywhere, but if he were to tell her these facts, she’d know what a major loser he was. If he had no chance at impressing her as it was, the repressed history freak he was would definitely screw him over even more. Babbling would solidify the fact that she was too cool for him. “We’ll have to get Euros to throw into Trevi Fountain.”

“I get that the fountain is old as hell, but do people throw money in there and make wishes?” she questioned as she sipped her coffee. She began eating the pastry he’d ordered for her, his eyes drifting to her lips as her tongue moved over it, collecting the crumbs that clung to her mouth. “I haven’t made a wish on a fountain in forever.”

His entire body felt warm because she was licking her lips and he hated to be that guy, but she was seriously so gorgeous that it was unfair. Here she was, drawing attention to her lips, and he had an overwhelming desire to surge forward and kiss her senseless. Well, kissing her senseless was just one of the few things he wanted to do to her, but unfortunately he was in no position to be kissing her. _Fuck._

“I think,” he managed to respond, voice sounding strangely far away.

She nodded, seemingly unaware of the tightness in his voice or the likely flush in his cheeks. She finished the pastry just as fast as she finished the coffee, much more awake than she had been only minutes before. “Let me get dressed and we can head out, alright?” She bent over her suitcase, picking an outfit before going into the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind her.

He sat a little too stiffly on the bed, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to forget how she looked when she was licking her lips. If he kept dwelling over the sight, he was going to lose his edge and do something stupid, like kiss her. Kissing someone for the first time was risky since there was the chance of messing up or worse— facing the looming threat that she didn’t like him back.

Still, he was afraid that he would either kiss her or tell her about his crush on her. Both options were terrifying to think about and could end in a disaster. He wasn’t sure which one he’d be brave enough to do. He pondered over this as he heard her voice from the bathroom, singing along to some song that he didn’t know the words to and feeling his heart clench in his chest because her voice was so beautiful and it wasn’t fair.

When she emerged from the bathroom, she was wearing a yellow shirt, the straps off her shoulders. The color looked so good on her that just the sight of her nearly stopped his heart. Her hair was braided down her back, baby hairs framing her face. As per usual, she was wearing her scuffed up Vans, something he was far used to be at this point of their friendship. He was staring at her as she went into her suitcase, pulling out a small backpack, slipping her wallet in it along with a few others things.

“Ready?” Her brown eyes glistened with excitement as she looked up at him. “We have a lot of sights to see today.”

_I’d be happy just to look at you today._

“Of course.” He stood up as well, making sure he had his wallet as well. “Just a warning, if you get tired, I’m not carrying you back here.”

Her laugh sounded like bells, his stomach squeezing with adoration at the sound. “I wouldn’t expect anything less,” she teased, lightly putting her hand on his arm as she brushed past him towards the door. The touch was brief but sent electric shocks through his body. “Now let’s go, we have the whole day to kill.”

And at this rate, he wouldn’t be able to make it through half the day without wanting to kiss her again.

* * *

Exploring around Rome with Jason’s dream girl was too good to be real.

Last night’s tension must have been simply because Piper was tired, he convinced himself, because she was in such a good mood that it was hard to imagine that there was anything significant that she was trying to cover up. When he wasn’t sprouting historical facts about the areas they were visiting, she would talk about anything that came to her mind. Each time there was a sign, she would read it out loud. He didn’t know that she was fluent in French until she read aloud the Italian names, accent nearly perfect. Her voice, always fairly attractive, slipped into a sultry accent when she spoke in a foreign language. Each time she read a sign out loud, he had to resist from doing something embarrassing. He wasn’t sure if she would enjoy being kissed in the middle of Rome, or anywhere for that matter.

As they made their way through the crowded streets, the two of them walking side by side to ensure that they wouldn’t be separated, his mind was on overdrive. Part of him was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of history practically engulfing him, which made him stop at nearly every building they approached. Another part of him was unbelievably hot, which made him constantly thirsty, which meant the pair made frequent stops at little shops to buy something to drink.

The other part of him was more enchanted by Piper than any other building.

He was staring at her when they arrived at Trevi Fountain, watching as she sorted through the assorted coins in her hand. It was all too good to be true; he was at one of the most famous fountains in the world with one of the most, if not the most, beautiful girls in the world. Sure, they might have been strictly friends, but she was gorgeous and right in front of him and he’d be a fool not to drink in the sight of her.

“Did you know that 1.5 million dollars are thrown into the fountain every year?” he blurted out.

Her eyes focused on him, tilting her head as she smiled. “Should’ve brought my scuba gear,” she joked.

“Fishing for the money is illegal.”

“It’s only illegal if they catch you, Jason.”

“I— Piper!” He stared at her as she deadpanned. “That’s still wrong!”

She threw her head back and laughed, eyes squeezing shut as her shoulders moved. The sight of her laughing in front of Trevi Fountain was so beautiful that he wished he would have caught the moment on camera. “Kidding. God, you are _such_ a political science major.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“Political science majors are super… I don’t know. Socially woke?” Piper waved a hand, reaching over and handing him two coins. “Percy’s friend Rachel isn’t a political science major, but she was interested in it and she’s all for social justice and shit. Believes in people get what they ask for. You got so spooked when I said I’d go diving for coins because that’s wrong in your book. It’s cute.”

Heat spread all the way up to his ears. “I didn’t think having a moral compass was cute.”

“It is when it comes to you.” The comment was so casual that he was taken aback. He stared at her as she took a picture of the fountain, pocketing her phone as she stepped closer to the fountain. “Make a wish and throw the money in.” As if demonstrating, she shut her eyes tightly, mouthing something that he couldn’t quite make out before flinging the coins into the fountain. They hit the water with a small splash, a look of accomplishment written all over her features as she looked at him. “Your turn.”

He shut his eyes, holding the hand with the money pressed to his palm to his chest. For a second, he ponders over what to wish for— peace with his family? Good grades next year? Acceptances into college?

He flung the coins into the water, watching as they hit the water and sunk below the surface.

“What’d you wish for?” Piper’s voice was gentle yet teasing.

“Oh, you know. Social justice.” He winked at her.

Truth be told, he wished that he could kiss her in Rome at least once.

They navigated their way through the city once they finished at Trevi Fountain, his wish still fresh in his mind. Fountains were wish venues for little kids with dreams that usually had no chance at ever becoming reality, but by using his one wish on a kiss made him feel weirdly optimistic. He knew that the fountain didn’t contain magic or anything, yet he felt as though it gave him the courage to speak up about liking her.

The Pantheon was their next stop, a beautiful temple turned church. It was beautiful, huge pillars at the front and Jason marveled over the fact that the nearly two thousand year temple was still standing. As he stared at it, Piper whipped out her silver credit card to buy tickets. Of course, he complained; he was trying to impress this girl and stereotypically it was the male who paid. Once he thought that, he realized how utterly sexist that sounded, plus their relationship was in no way stereotypical. She was a strong and independent person who didn’t need some guy she probably wasn’t even interested in buying her a ticket for the Pantheon. She had the means and motivation to do it, and as she handed him his ticket, he felt himself smiling.

“What?” she asked, wrinkling her nose as she caught him staring at her.

“Nothing, nothing.” He tried to fight the smile off his face to no avail. “Just thinking about gender stereotypes.”

“Oh?” She arched an eyebrow as the entrance worker took her ticket.

“Mhm.” He gave his ticket to the worker as well, stepping inside the church. “I wanted to buy tickets because I’m the guy here, then I realized how gross that sounded. You’re a successful girl who can buy tickets if you want to.”

Her lips twitched up into a smile, her eyes flickering to his face. “Jason Grace, are you a feminist by any chance?”

“Have you met my sister? She’d kick my ass if I wasn’t.”

She laughed, the sound resonating off the beautiful temple walls. When she was done laughing, she looked at him with a warm smile. “I’d also kick your ass. Come on, Sparky, we’ve got some tourist shit to do here and I feel like I’m pissing God off for saying _ass_ in a church.”

As he followed her deeper into the building, he hoped that God couldn’t read his mind, because what he was thinking about doing to Piper was a lot more unholy than saying a curse word in a church.

They spent nearly an hour at the Pantheon, admiring the architecture and beauty that the ancient temple contained. When they left, both of them were starving, so they found the closest restaurant and decided to eat there. Even though Piper’s forehead glistened with sweat, Jason couldn’t stop looking at her. She was so beautiful that she put even Rome’s most beautiful buildings to shame.

“Do you think I could order pasta for every meal while I’m here?” she asked, peering at him from over her menu.

“Do I think you could do that? Yes. Do I think you _should_ do that? No.” He shook his head, not being able to not chuckle at that.

Even though he couldn’t see her whole face, the way her eyes shone was a dead giveaway that she was smiling. “I really just think you don’t want to see me happy,” she shot back slyly.

“I really think you’ll never want to eat pasta again.”

“I think you just want to try it for yourself.”

“Mhm hm.” He rolled his eyes, looking back at his menu.

He couldn’t focus on the words because he felt a nudge against his foot. His breath caught in his throat, his heart suddenly racing because she was playing footsies under the table with him at a restaurant in the middle of Rome. He risked a glance up at her, seeing her intently reading over the menu, bottom lip caught between her teeth, seemingly unaware that her actions were making it really hard for him pretend that he didn’t like her. When the waiter arrived to take their order, he tried to make his voice sound steady, still overly aware that her ankles had locked around his. She, however, had no problem ordering, pronouncing her order perfectly. He didn’t know how she could be so calm while she was currently wrecking him.

The thoughts grew incessantly worse throughout their time at the restaurant, the two of them discussing plans for later in the week. As she suggested going to Vatican City on Wednesday, she slid her leg closer to him, her calf brushing against his own, and although he was positive that the move was innocent, he struggled to keep his thoughts straight. Her face was just across the table and he was certain that if he grabbed her chin, he could be kissing her within seconds. In the moment, his doubt faltered and he suddenly remembered what Bobby had told him on his birthday: _The only people who don’t know that you and Piper like each other are you and Piper._

Before he could mull over the possibility of her actually liking him back, their food arrived. He tried to focus on how good his pasta was, staring outside at the throngs of tourists exploring the streets but he kept looking over at Piper, watching as her eyebrows scrunched together as she twirled her fork along the pasta before sticking it into her mouth.

_The only people who don’t know that you and Piper like each other are you and Piper._

This time, he insisted on paying. She made some sly joke about his earlier feminist comments, which forced him to roll his eyes at her antics. As they left, she gave his hand a squeeze as if she were thanking him for paying. His hand felt warm for at least three blocks after that.

Since they had days ahead of them to see all the attractions Jason wanted to see, they spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the streets, stopping at churches and temples and statues as they stumbled upon them. Many stops were ones that he recognized from the History Channel or the history books he owned and others seemed familiar yet weren’t fresh in his memory. He told Piper the facts he knew about some of the buildings and he was surprised to see that she didn’t look bored as he overwhelmed her with facts. In fact, she smiled at him each time he went on a tangent about how old some temples were.

If she listened into his history facts willingly, that had to count for something. Maybe Bobby was right and their feelings were mutual.

In the evening, they came across the Tiber River. He knew some places that he wanted to see were nearby, but it’d been hours since they ate lunch and he couldn’t ignore his hunger for much longer. Not to mention that the two of them had walked for miles that day, so food was a necessity by that point. They found a restaurant that sat beside the river, nearly collapsing into their seats. Piper complained about how her feet ached more than they did during soccer season and for once Jason had to agree that her complaints were not exaggerated. His feet ached as well and he was thankful for the break.

They remained mostly quiet for the first several minutes, talking about nonsense until their food arrived. They both chose soup this time around despite the summer heat, but it was better than the idea of pasta for every meal. As he began to eat, Piper asked, “Is this trip everything you imagined so far?”

 _Everything and more._ “It’s amazing, Pipes. I can’t thank you enough.” He smiled at her, the setting sun reflecting golden light across her face. Again, her beauty nearly stunned him into silence.

“I wanted to come here, too. I’m just glad I brought someone who’s even more excited than I am.” Her smile was genuine yet there was no mistaking the playful shine in her eyes. As she spoke, he could feel her feet nudge up against his again.

“I’m surprised I haven’t bored you to death with all my facts.”

“ _Please._ ” She rolled her eyes. “Leo talks to me on a daily basis about mechanical shit. I don’t understand half of it, but he’s passionate about it. I hate that people get annoyed with something that makes people happy. History makes you happy. It’s endearing and cute.”

There it was again: cute. He tilted his head at her, trying not to stare too intently at her as her lips wrapped around the spoon. “Where did this cute talk come from?”

“Nowhere.” She stared at him earnestly, a ghost of a smile on her lips. “You’ve always been cute, Jason. Am I not allowed to comment on it?”

“I mean…” His face felt warmer than it had before, feeling the heat surge through his veins. “Whatever makes you happy.”

_You’ve always been cute, Jason._

For a moment, Jason contemplated sending Bobby a text to confirm that his theory was correct. But Jason held back from doing so— he was guessing just as much as Bobby was. In reality, he had no idea if Piper actually liked him back or not. This could easily be completely platonic.

Then again, the several games of footsies beneath tables did not feel platonic in the slightest.

Piper suggested gelato for dessert and Jason couldn’t deny how good that sounded. She ordered strawberry while he asked for chocolate. This time as she ate, he didn’t try and hide the fact that he was staring at her. There were the scattered suggestive thoughts as her tongue trailed along her bottom lip, but mostly he was just admiring how naturally beautiful she looked. He felt as if he’d spent most of the day admiring her but then again he’d been admiring her since they met. Even when he didn’t want to like her, he hadn’t been able to deny her beauty.

His chocolate gelato tasted sweeter than it should have as he stared at her.

When they finished their gelato and left the restaurant, the sun had dipped below the horizon. The sky turned violet, the air cooling down significantly. They wander along the Tiber River, and as he stared ahead, he could see a massive building up again. A castle— Castel Sant’Angelo. This is one he recognized from a documentary he had seen in AP European History back as a sophomore.

He decided that he could see the castle another day, but he found himself heading towards the bridge over the river. The sign indicated that it was the St. Angelo Bridge, and he admired its beauty as he stepped onto it. The grey stone was nearly the same color as Annabeth’s eyes. Lining the edge of the bridge were marble statues of angels, towering several feet in the air. Though beautiful, Jason couldn’t help but think that Piper put the statues to shame.

The moonlight reflected off the water below them. He leaned against the stone wall that kept tourists from tumbling into the Tiber. Again he was overcome with the realness of it all— he was in Rome with a girl who just weeks ago was the last person he wanted to see on any given day. Their old feud made him feel foolish and judgmental; he had heard her last name and attached a stereotypical behavior to it. The past still made him feel guilty, but he was thankful that their rocky start had morphed into something more.

“It’s really beautiful, isn’t it?” Piper’s voice was musical, utter admiration traced in the words.

He looked over at her, not staring at the castle ahead of him or the towering angel statues on either side of him. “Yeah.”

Her eyes locked on his. He thought about kissing her again.

“You know, you haven’t been asking me about my future plans,” she mentioned casually. “I was preparing myself for a huge speech about how since we were going to Italy together, you deserved to know my secrets.”

He laughed, shaking his head at her. She joined in and once they stopped, he realized how he’d somewhat forgotten about his curiosity to find out what she was passionate about. Despite their closeness, she’d still refused to tell him up until a few weeks ago. _If he was ever lucky_ is what she had told him about hearing what her future plans were.

“I kind of forgot.” He shrugged, studying her face, which was void of emotion. “I shouldn’t push you for personal information.”

“I push you for personal information all the time,” she pointed out.

“Not really. You ask what most people expect from each other. I haven’t told you everything about myself yet because it’s personal to me. I’m sure I’ll tell you someday, just not now.” He shrugged again, hoping that his explanation made sense. “We trust each other, but some things don’t need to be said. If you ever decide to tell me, I’ll support you. It’s obviously important to you. I hope I get lucky someday, and if not, that’s okay.”

She blinked up at him, surprise on her features. The silence stretched out between them, their eyes still locked. He worried that he didn’t make sense and that she was just trying to understand what he was trying to tell her.

Her voice was so quiet when she spoke that he wasn’t sure if he heard her right, or if she didn’t even speak at all. “Psychology.”

“What?” He moved a tiny bit closer, hoping to hear her better if she spoke again. “What did you say?”

“Psychology.” This time her voice was clear, even confident. Her fists were clenched, body a little stiffer than usual. But there was a small hesitant smile on her face, evidently trekking into new territory. “I want to go to UCLA and major in psychology. I’ve always wondered how the mind works and I think I really want to study it more. I want to be a therapist or a psychiatrist or something. I don’t know. It’s what I’m passionate about. I want to help people. I don’t know. I think about how many people who need a little help and I just feel compelled to do something with my life to really make a difference.” When she was done speaking, she laughed breathily. “Is that what you wanted, Grace? Well then, count yourself lucky.”

Piper told him a vulnerable aspect of herself, revealing a side of her that Jason had previously been unable to see. It wasn’t because she didn’t display the qualities before telling him what she was passionate about, but it was because she was so hesitant to let anyone know what she wanted to do in the future to the point where she didn’t even tell her best friends. In an instant, he could see her growing up and helping people with mental health illnesses and everything seemed to fall into place.

One second she was standing a few feet away and the next he surged forward, only partially aware of his actions. His own emotions were driving him in that moment, something which rarely happened because he tended to try to act on logic rather than emotion. One hand cupped her face, the other gripping her waist, their faces were only inches apart. For a moment, he searched for any uncertainty in her face and found none. His heart was slamming against his ribs and before he could lose his courage, he moved his face even closer to hers.

Her lips were soft. Warm. There was the taste of strawberry on her lips, which seemed fitting for her for some reason. He couldn’t quite put a finger on why the taste matched her so well since his mind was moving at a million miles per hour. He was hesitant, scared that he was going to do something wrong and scare her off. He’d kissed girls before so he knew what he was doing, but he felt like none of the other ones mattered because this was the only one he truly cared about. Her arms wound around his shoulders, pushing herself onto her tiptoes to deepen the kiss. Both of his hands gripped her waist at this point and she further deepened the kiss, his tongue tracing along her bottom lip. Her breath on the inside of her mouth was warm yet shaky and he knew in an instant that she was nervous, too.

He was kissing Piper McLean.

By the time he pulled away, he was breathing heavily, his entire body warmer than usual. He stared down at her, her breathing equally as ragged as his, her cheeks flushed pink. Her lips were just as soft as they looked, he noted vaguely as his eyes scanned her face, memorizing every little detail.

“Took you long enough,” she murmured breathlessly.

He laughed, looping his fingers through her belt loops and pulling her against him again. “But I did it,” he replied, his nose brushing against hers. “And I’m going to do it again.” He felt hot all over, hesitation swarming his body because he came to the realization that he didn’t ask her for permission to kiss her originally. “Uh, actually, can I kiss you again?”

She laughed, the noise like music to his ears. “Please do.”

Everything faded away as their lips met again and Jason forgot where he was. All he could feel and taste was Piper, her presence engulfing him. Everything melted away until it was just them— nothing else seemed to matter. He could forget about the relentless paparazzi and his parents and Annabeth’s inevitable move to Stanford and the fact that he wasn’t so sure that he wanted to go back to his boarding school in the fall now that his friends had all graduated.

He should have kissed Piper a long time ago, but he had no time to dwell over that; he was going to kiss her a lot to make up for all their wasted time. He was sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song for this chapter (+ the previous one) is who we were with by paradise fears! last chapter and this chapter's titles are a continuation of the other - "feels like we're something, something that's lasting" in case you didn't notice :)))
> 
> wow okay i love this chapter so much and i hope you guys love it too! and hopefully the agonizing wait was worth it.
> 
> finals start monday but there will be an update on wednesday still! thanks for reading as always


	18. I Love the Things We Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prepare to die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: this chapter contains slightly mature content

If someone had told Piper just yesterday that Jason would have kissed her, she would have laughed. It was ridiculous— up until the moment he kissed her, she was almost completely convinced that her feelings were unrequited in every aspect.

But if he didn’t like her back, there would be no way that he would have kissed her.

By the time they pulled apart on the bridge, her heartbeat was erratic, mind spinning from the overwhelming joy she felt and the lack of air she had. Her fingers had made their way to tangle in his hair, his fingers tightly gripping her belt loops, and she practically melted against his warmth. She’d kissed plenty of other people before this, but none of the kisses came close to how wonderful theirs had been.

“I’ve been wanting to kiss you since that day we went surfing.” His voice was lower than usual, lips brushing against her forehead as he spoke.

A laugh bubbled to her lips, all the stress over the possibility of him not liking her back washing away with this revelation. “I realized that I liked you on your birthday,” she shyly admitted. “But I think I liked you way before that.”

He laughed as well, shaking his head and kissing her again, a chaste kiss this time. “I psyched myself out so many times. God, it’s so hard to resist myself when I’m around you…” He yanked against her belt loops, bringing her even closer, her hips pressing against his. Her head spun, overly aware that they were practically wrapped up around each other outside of some Roman castle.

She wanted to do so much more than just kiss him.

Pushing herself up on her toes, she kissed him again, tightening her arms around him. She tried to keep the kiss relatively short since they were in public, which was difficult since he was such a damn good kisser. _Asshole. Is there anything that he’s not good at?_ She was only half aware that she backed him against the stone wall of the bridge, his fingers burning against her hips.

“Mhm.” He pulled away, his cheeks a brilliant shade of red, and she feels a sense of pride that she caused it. His chest heaved once as he caught his breath, gazing down at her with those sky blue eyes that she could get lost in. “I love kissing you so much, but I’d really hate to be yelled at for public indecency.”

She laughed again, prying herself away from him, entire body humming with what felt like electricity. “Okay, okay,” she conceded, holding her hand out with a smile. “Let’s go, Sparky. We’ve got more kissing to do.”

They discovered that they were miles away from their hotel, and neither of them necessarily had the patience to walk back. There was a new buzz between them and all she wanted to do was to kiss him until he was red in the face. He had an arm around her shoulder as he hailed a cab, and when she caught sight of the ink on his arm, she had an overwhelming desire to kiss that spot of skin.

She swore she usually wasn’t this turned on; he brought this out in her.

Once in the backseat of the cab, Jason told the driver the address of the hotel and Piper felt as though she had no self-control in the moment. She’d kissed this boy just minutes before and she didn’t want to stop. There were countless other things that she wanted to do with him, kissing seemingly innocent compared to the other things she was curating in her mind. Feeling a little braver than usual, she put her hand on his thigh, noticing how he tensed beneath her touch. She risked a glance over at him, hoping not to see discomfort and relieved to see that his face was rosy in the dim light. They locked eyes and she could see that his pupils were dilated, the blue in his irises darker than usual. The look he gave her sent chills through her body, anticipation surging through her veins.

The cab ride was too long for her liking.

It seemed to take years for the car to finally stop outside of the hotel, and Piper fished the spare Euros from her pocket to hand to the driver. The amount she handed over was more than enough, but she doesn’t have the patience to wait for the driver to give her the change. As she hastily got from the car, Jason following right behind her, she called over her shoulder, “Keep the change!” Once Jason closed the door behind him, he grabbed her hand tightly and pulled her towards the hotel doors. There were several people milling in the extravagant lobby, all of which she avoided. They made their way into the elevator, which was fortunately empty.

Right when the elevator door shut, a magnetic pull seemed to bring them together. His hand gripped her hair, the elastic holding her hair in a braid snapping, his fingers combing through the strands so her hair flowed freely down her back. His lips pressed against hers with a new fervor to them, his breathing jagged on the inside of her mouth. Her hands slid down his chest, savoring the taste of his tongue in her mouth, her mind a jumbled mess as she tried to think straight. He was taking up every place in her thoughts, invading the parts of her that had been unaffected by the idea of him. His touch was like an open flame against her skin and she wondered hazily if he was really that warm or if the growing anticipation was heating things up. One of his hands rested against the side of her neck, his fingers tracing along her jawline as he kissed her with an intensity that could split the ground in two.

She pushed him away as the ding of the elevator met her ears, gasping for air as he stepped away. The doors opened smoothly, revealing the empty hallway. Relief coursed through her body and she shot him a look. His smile was innocent, color flooding his cheeks. She reached down, holding his hand again as they walked towards their room. As he reached into his pocket for the key card, she decided to get revenge for his control over her in the elevator. She pressed herself against his side, angling her head up to kiss his neck. He fumbled with the key card, exhaling deeply, a trace of a moan slipping out as he breathed. Smirking against his him, she continued to press chaste kisses all up his skin, focusing her lips on his collarbones. He finally unlocked the door, one hand grabbing her hip tightly as he pushed her into the room. The door clicked shut behind them, only the low lights by the entrance flickering on.

Once their privacy was ensured in the locked room, he attached himself to her, his hands knowingly gripping her sides, the fabric of her shirt bunching beneath his palms. Their lips met eagerly, even messier than their elevator kiss, the sound of their labored breathing the only noise in the room. As she stepped backward, she struggled to kick off her Vans, her shoes going in two different directions as she stepped out of them, her bare feet shuffling against the soft carpet.

The backs of her knees bumped against the mattress, her arms locked tightly around his shoulders. Her body swayed for a moment, the only thing keeping her upright was his strength. He pulled away, thumb tracing over her bottom lip as he stared at her. For a moment, they gazed at each other, their breathing slowing to normal before he gently lowered her onto the mattress. He climbed on top of her, pressing his lips to hers once more.

While she had been calm up until this point, there was a new sense of seriousness to how he was kissing her now. She was hyper aware that she was now on the very comfortable king bed, his body pressed above hers, and for the first time, she could feel her stomach twist up into nervous knots. Her actions had been natural before, and now as she ran her fingers through the soft strands of his hair, she felt uncertain, scared to do something notoriously unsexy and fuck up before they really did anything.

Jason, however, seemed like he knew exactly what he was doing. Each touch, each kiss was perfectly executed, which made her nerves worse. There was no way this was his first time doing anything; he was too attractive to be a virgin. Girls must have flung themselves at him at school, and since it was a boarding school, there were dorms to escape to. Hookups must have been easy to do out there. He must have had experience and all she had on her belt was watching some raunchy sex scenes in movies.

As she mulled over her nerves, he pulled away, sitting up on the bed while she remained on her back. His lips were a little fuller from usual, red from their nonstop kissing. He reached behind his back, gripping the collar of his shirt and yanking it over his head. Her eyes traveled from his face to his body and— _Jesus Christ._ She’d seen him shirtless before since he’d gone swimming at her house, but this situation was different. They had finally pushed past the normal conventions of friendship and now were in a hotel room, the tension that had building up between them controlling the way this night was heading. And by the removal of his shirt, it wasn’t going to stop at just making out. This was shaping into something much more, reflecting Piper’s darkest desires for him. The thought of them having sex, while making her want to grin with excitement, also made her mouth feel very dry.

He bent down to kiss her again, and before he could, she put a hand on his bare chest. He looked at her in confusion, and she managed a nervous smile. “Not trying to ruin this mood we have going on, but I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing,” she said, voice more strained than she wanted it to be. The second she spoke, she felt silly; he had only taken off his shirt and she was still completely dressed. What was hard about that?

Blinking, Jason was sitting up straight within an instant of her saying that. “What?” he asked, staring at her in surprise.

“I don’t know know what I’m doing.” She sat up as well, her stomach churning uneasily at his sudden mood change. “And I know that you do, so I was just giving you a—”

“Me?” His voice rose an octave, shaking his head. “Fuck, Pipes, I thought _you_ knew what you were doing! I’m just guessing as I go.”

She processed what he told her, a tiny smile flickering onto her lips unexpectedly. “You’re a virgin,” she summed up.

“Yeah.” He looked at her, eyebrows pulling together. “You’re smiling. Is that funny? I thought you were one too.”

“Jason.” She leaned forward, kissing him, not quite as desperate as before. This kiss was gentle and reassuring. “I was just scared of doing something wrong to make me look like an idiot. Now I know both of us are going in blind.”

He pressed his forehead against hers, letting out a long puff of air. “I mean…” He hesitated, clearing his throat before speaking again. “I mean, if you’re nervous, we don’t have to do this. We can stop, I really won’t mind. I mean, I didn’t expect us to do anything, but I only want to if you want to, so it’s really—”

She kissed him again, a little more forceful than her last kiss. That shut him up right away, as he practically melted into the kiss when she cradled his face in her hands. When she pulled away, she kept her eyes closed as she whispered, “I’m nervous, but I want to do this.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

That was enough for him, closing the distance between their lips once more. He was slower than before, but she could still sense the desperation lingering between them. He slid his hand down her side, stopping at the hem of her shirt. Tugging on it for a moment, he began to lift it up. She pulled away from their kiss, wiggling her way out of the shirt, flinging it across the room. She felt his eyes stray from her face to her chest, staring intently at her bra. Tilting her head up, she crashed her lips against his again.

A few moments later, his fingers trailed past her sides, brushing against her back. She could feel his fingers reach up, going for her bra strap. They continued kissing, expecting for the strap to become undone and for her bra to slip off. As more seconds passed, she was becoming increasingly aware that his fingers were fumbling against her bra, the strap not letting up.

She couldn’t help it— she laughed.

He grunted, pulling away, face growing redder as he continued to play with her strap. “Stop laughing,” he told her, the embarrassment clear in his voice.

“I’m so sorry!” She started laughing even harder, hard enough to make her stomach hurt. “I’m sorry, I really am, I just—” The laughter overcame her, making it impossible for her to complete her sentence.

Face bright red, Jason removed his hand from her bra, looking defeated. “I swear, if you keep laughing, I won’t be turned on anymore,” he warned. “And I don’t think either of us wants that.”

Her laughter slowed to a stop, definitely not wanting that to happen. She sat up a little bit, carefully reaching behind her back, her fingers fumbling over the strap for a few moments before she felt the clasps slip free. She tossed her bra aside, well aware that Jason’s face was still a deep red, but he didn’t look so embarrassed anymore.

“Piper…”

She leaned over, planting another kiss on his lips. “Jason?”

“Mhm?” The sound he made was strained, one hand gripping her side tightly.

“Take your pants off.”

His hand tightened on her side, deepening the kiss. His lips trailed down her jawline, settling on a spot just below her left ear and kissing it, making her squirm against the mattress. As soon as he got her going, he pulled away, hands against his the button of his jeans. She could hear him unzip them and as soon as he kicked his jeans off, he was against her again, kissing her neck.

“Your turn,” he mumbled against her throat, the scratchiness in his voice making her heartbeat pick up. Before she could acknowledge him, his fingers fumbled with the zipper on her shorts, yanking them down her legs. He tossed them aside, locking eyes with her.

She realized that both of them just had one clothing article each before they were completely naked.

He grabbed her hips again, kissing her quickly yet firmly. He swallowed, looking up at her with a hesitant look on her face. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, her fingers playing with the hem of her underwear. “I don’t want to unless you’re completely sure of it.”

“I want this,” she whispered back, nodding once. “I’m sure of it.”

As if he’d been holding back, he yanked her panties down in one swift movement, the fabric pooling around her ankles. At this point, she kicked them away, fully preparing to go for his boxers until she felt his hands nudging on her inner thigh. Before she could comprehend what he was doing, his fingers were brushing against her and then he slid two fingers inside.

_Holy shit._

An involuntary moan slipped out, her face flushing as the noise escaped. She’d done exceptionally well at not moaning up until this point, but hey, it was bound to happen at some point.

“Is this alright?” he asked as his fingers curled inside of her, rendering her silent. “I know you’re supposed to do this, and plus you’ve never had sex before, so—”

“More than alright,” she breathed, watching as the crease disappeared from between his eyes at her reassurance. “ _God,_ Jason.”

He pumped his fingers at a steady pace, which she was thankful for since she had a feeling that he would tease her to no end if he felt like it. Then again, this tension had gone on for far too long, so both of them were in a hurry to move past the foreplay and actually get it on. At least that was the case for her. He kissed her passionately as he did this, which made it a little better.

After several tantalizing moments of him pushing his fingers in and out of her, her patience wore thin. “Jason,” she said, voice breathy but firm against his lips. He pulled away, looking down at her quizzically. “Boxers. Off.”

His fingers stilled inside of her and he withdrew his hand. Nodding, she noticed how he looked just as nervous as she felt. He wordlessly took his boxers off and if she said that she didn’t stare shamelessly at his naked body, she would be a big liar. _Better than what I thought up,_ she thought, more anticipation coursing through her veins.

Before he could climb over her, she shook her head. “We need a condom.”

“Where are we—” As if answering his own question, he reached into the bedside table, fishing around in there. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m thankful that your mom left us these.”

If Piper had the guts to do it, she would shoot her mom a text herself. But alas, she didn’t really want either parent to know about her sex life.

Jason tore the condom wrapper open with his teeth, which was so hot that she could’ve been reduced to a red-faced mess right then. As if he did it daily, he rolled the condom on before crawling over her once more. Her heart was pounding so hard that she wondered if he could feel it.

His lips caught hers in a kiss, softer and slower than their previous ones. The kiss lasted for so long that it made her head spin. He pulled away just enough so he could look into her eyes, his nose brushing against hers.

“You’re beautiful,” he murmured to her as he moved his hips against hers, sliding inside of her.

At first, it didn’t feel like toe-curling pleasure sex was made out to be. It wasn’t uncomfortable by any means, nor did it hurt, but it wasn’t moan-worthy the first few moments. At first, she worried that maybe sex wasn’t anything to obsess over, or worse, Jason just wasn’t great at it, but then he moved deeper inside of her and _oh fuck._ She moaned, fingernails digging into his shoulders.

 _This_ was the toe-curling pleasure she’d heard all about.

His moans, she convinced herself, were her new favorite sound in the world. The noise filled the room, only growing louder when her hips began to move along with his, forcing each thrust of his to go deeper. By no means were they experts at this whole sex thing, and she wasn’t sure how anyone could be when the pleasure was so great that she could hardly control her own actions. She attached her lips to his neck, leaving hot and messy trails of kisses along his skin. He angled his head down, capturing her lips in another kiss, this one so heated and passionate to the point where both of them were moaning into each other’s mouths. She was pretty sure that he would have marks from her nails on his back the next morning, but she didn’t care.

“Jason,” she gasped out, the swells of pleasure slamming into her until she was rendered a writhing mess below him. His skin was so warm against hers, pushing and sliding over hers. The comforter was bunching up beneath their bodies, and she wasn’t sure how long had passed since they began, but she wasn’t sure how much longer she could delay the building tension inside of her. His hands all over her certainly weren’t helping, either; his touches only made the bundle of nerves within her expand until it was nearly overwhelming. She moaned his name out again, louder this time.

Her eyes fluttered enough to see his face inches from hers, face tight with concentration, teeth tugging against his bottom lip, and she swore that he had been crafted from the gods themselves because nobody should look as perfect as he did.

His voice, low and raspy, beckoned for her to give into the bundle of pleasure, “Let go, Piper.”

The wave of red hot desire washed over her, making her toes curl. Her head tilted back, eyes squeezing shut as she felt herself give into the intensity of that moment. He rode through it, and when his moans began to match hers, she knew that he had become undone as well. His hips kept going, faster and harder than before, and by the time she was unraveled, his motions slowed to a stop. Her chest heaved as she recovered from her high, eyes still pressed shut.

It took him a little while for his breathing to slow, she noticed. When his breaths were even, he pulled away, the mattress dipping as he moved away from her. She opened her eyes, turning her head to see him tying the top of the condom and discarding it into the trashcan by the bedside table. He flicked the light switch, the low lights at the entrance flickering off, shrouding the room in darkness. He got back into bed as her eyes adjusted, arm winding around her waist as he settled against her, propping himself halfway up by his elbow.

“So.” There was no hiding the nervousness in his voice.

“So.” Her voice was heavy, rough around the edges from moaning so much.

“Are you okay?” As he asked her that, he moved his hand up, brushing away the strands sticking to her forehead. “Was I okay?”

“I’d say you exceeded my expectations,” she murmured dryly, unable to keep from smiling.

He laughed, shaking his head and dipping his face down to kiss her. She didn’t want him to pull away, lingering her lips against his. “Is that the only feedback I’m going to get?” he asked teasingly. “I need more in order to improve.”

 _In order to improve._ The thought about having sex with him again brought giddy butterflies to her stomach.

“Considering that you got me to orgasm, I’d feel pretty good about myself,” she told him, watching as he flashed a relieved smile. “And I hope I wasn’t too awful.” Although she was mostly joking, she secretly hoped that he felt as good as she did after the fact.

His features softened, cupping her cheek in his hand. “Don’t underestimate yourself,” he whispered, thumb brushing against her puffy lips, which still felt warm from all the kissing that had been done that night. “You’re a knockout.”

She smiled, leaning her face against his hand, staring up at him. They laid in silence for a few moments, drinking in the moment. She wished that she could freeze time and stay there forever, but she knew that couldn’t be the case. Eventually when the week was over, they had to return to California and face reality. She was sure that Mellie and Athena would have a field day when they returned and found out that Jason was her… something. There was nothing official to it, no title attached, but she was more than certain that they weren’t just friends anymore. People didn’t kiss in the middle of Rome and admit to having romantic feelings for each other and have sex and then go back to a simple friendship. (Even though their friendship was never simple.)

“We should probably sleep.” She was the one to break the silence, reaching up and tracing her finger against the scar on his lip.

“Yeah.” He nodded once, sitting up and running a hand through his hair, which was beautifully messy from her fingers. He pulled back the comforter and sheets, allowing her to climb beneath them before climbing in after her. She got comfortable, feeling his arm sling loosely around her as they both settled into bed. “Are you warm?”

“Very. And comfortable,” she assured him, resting her hand on his chest. She could feel his heart beating beneath her palm, the steady rhythm relaxing her even more than she already was. “Jason?”

He moved his head to gaze down at her. “Yeah, Pipes?”

“You’re a good kisser.” Her voice was heavy since she was tired, the exhaustion from walking all day and now sex wearing down on her finally.

Chuckling, he pressed a kiss to her temple. “You are, too. Go to sleep. I’ll kiss you tomorrow.”

“Promise?” She knew she was being a little childish, but she didn’t care. She felt comfortable with him. She could let go a little around him considering he saw her naked.

“I promise.” He ran his fingers through her hair, leaning in and kissing her softly. “We both need to rest up.”

This she knew— Rome was a big city and there were only so many days they had left to explore. Their days were short and sleep was critical since they were walking a majority of the time. She wished she could stay up for hours more to talk to him since pillow talk seemed like a traditional aspect of the after sex ritual, but she knew that she was too tired to hold a coherent conversation.

Piper fell asleep at some point after that, feeling Jason’s heart beating against her hand, wishing that she could fall asleep like this every night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song for this chapter is smoke by PVRIS!
> 
> well,,, i have no excuse for this chapter other than it's what they deserve! that is all i am going to say
> 
> thanks for reading pals!


	19. Siren In the Dark

Jason woke up feeling warmer than usual, the comforting scent of honeysuckle welcoming him as he regained consciousness. Eyes fluttering open, he could tell by the slanting light that it was later than he was used to waking up, not that he minded. He rolled over from his back to his side, heart beating a little faster when he caught sight of Piper.

She was fast asleep, dark hair splayed out over her pillow. Her lips were a bit puffier than they usually were and as he studied them, he could remember kissing her more times than he could count. There was a small red mark on the side of her neck, a few inches below her ear, and he couldn’t help but grin at the sight of it. The white sheets were a stark contrast compared to her brown skin as they wrapped around her body tightly. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

He could get used to waking up like this.

As he stared at her, more and more memories came to mind. Some of the moments he recalled made him go red in the face. His stomach turned as he lay there, staring at the sleeping girl beside him.

_Holy shit. I had sex with Piper McLean._

Less than twenty-four hours ago, he hadn’t even been sure that she liked him back. He’d been plagued by fears of her rejecting him, which he eventually overcame as she dropped more hints that she reciprocated his feelings. He expected maybe a confession, a kiss if he was lucky.

He didn’t anticipate the sex part.

Of course, he respected the hell out of Piper. He definitely would not have tried anything if she hadn’t wanted to. He wasn’t even the one to make the first move, far too shy to do so; it had been her to touch his thigh in the cab, hinting that kissing was not enough for her. He took that hint and ran with it, kissing her in the elevator. Things got hazy then and the next thing he knew, they had finished having sex.

There were always high expectations for someone’s first time. It was romanticized in media and by teenagers everywhere. When people started losing their virginities at school, it was some big rite of passage or something. Other people didn’t seem to make a big deal out of it since many of them just casually hooked up with randoms. He hadn’t spent time thinking about his first time, deciding to roll with whatever happened.

Now, staring at the girl in the bed beside him, he realized he was one of those guys to treasure it rather than play it off as if it had been nothing. It was probably because he had so many intense feelings for her and to be frank, some of the things he felt for her scared him. He had never felt this way for anyone. He had gone from wanting to hate this girl to not being able to imagine his messy Hollywood life without her. The fact that she felt the same way about him made him smile so much that it hurt his cheeks.

Almost as if he didn’t have any control over his actions, he reached forward, tracing his thumb against her cheekbone. Her skin was so soft, so warm. He marveled over her, his chest tightening with a sense of pride because she liked him too.

The touch was just enough to wake her up. Her body shifted, the sheets rustling as she stretched. Her eyelids fluttered for a few seconds, blinking heavily up at him. When her pupils focused on him, a sleepy smile spread over her lips, the sight so heavenly that he was convinced for a few moments that he had died and was now in the presence of an angel.

“Morning,” he murmured, cradling her cheek in his hand.

“Mhm.” She nuzzled her face against his hand, leaning against his touch. Her brown eyes were so warm that if they had the capacity to, they could’ve lit him on fire. “Good morning.” He leaned down to kiss her, but his lips met her hand instead. She smiled, shaking her head. “You’re cute, but I need to brush my teeth so I don’t scare you away.”

He laughed, raising his eyebrows at her in disbelief. “Impossible,” he said simply. “C’mere.” He tried to kiss her again, which she dodged. “I don’t care about morning breath.”

“But I do.” She yawned, sitting up in bed. He tried not to stare as he watched the sheets cling to her body, a dizzying sight to him. “And no offense, I wouldn’t want to kiss you before you brushed your teeth.”

Feigning an offended look, he watched as she reached down, plucking the shirt he had been wearing yesterday off the ground. “My morning breath isn’t _that_ bad,” he complained, which was a complete and utter lie, but sometimes white lies were necessary.

“Sure.” She shot him a knowing look, turning away as she pulled his shirt on. He stared at her bare back, wanting to lean forward and kiss her skin. She reached down again once his shirt was on, grabbing the underwear he had very nearly ripped off her the previous night. She easily slid them up her legs, standing up once she had clothes on. The sight of her wearing his shirt, which went down to the middle of her thighs, made his stomach feel warm.

Now that they’d had sex, he could imagine doing more unholy things to her without being embarrassed. (Okay, maybe he was still embarrassed, but now his thoughts were justified.)

“Do you want to order room service again or actually go out for breakfast?” he asked, fishing his boxers from the floor and pulling them on.

She paused before sticking her toothbrush in her mouth, staring intently in the mirror. “Christ, Jason,” she laughed, fingers prodding against the red mark on her mouth. “Are you an animal or something?”

“Thalia used to say I was raised by wolves.”

“Thalia is right.” Piper stuck the toothbrush into her mouth, shaking her head at him. After she was done brushing and had rinsed her mouth, she stood in the doorway of the bathroom. Finally answering his question, she said, “I don’t know. At the rate we’re getting ready, we could just grab brunch on our way out.”

He nodded, standing up as well. He brushed past her, grabbing his own toothbrush and brushing his teeth. He brushed quickly, hastily rinsing out his mouth. As if she knew his plan, she stepped closer to him, leaning on her toes so he could kiss her.

“I have to shower,” he murmured when she pulled away, easily putting his hands on her hips. It may have been a casual gesture, but he was still taken aback that he was able to do this now.

Her brown eyes glistened, a smirk forming on her face. “So do I, what a coincidence.”

His cheeks immediately burned with heat, the thought of them showering together making his boxers feel a little tighter than they had just a moment ago. “Perfect. Then I’ll shower first,” he said quickly.

“Jason, think about the water we would be saving,” Piper pointed out, her fingers tracing over the nape of his neck, making it hard to concentrate on what she was saying. “Water conservation is very important to me.”

He closed his eyes for a second, scared that if he glanced down, he would lose his edge and throw her over his shoulder to appease the overwhelming feeling of desire he had. _God, give me strength._ “Maybe that’s not a half bad idea.”

“I thought so.” Her lips brushed over his, which made him tighten his fingers around her hips. “Why don’t you start the water? I have to grab something.”

As she turned around to go back in the room, he shook his head. She was going to be the death of him, he was convinced. Even though she was definitely going to give him hell, he knew that her relentless teasing was worth it if that meant he was going to be with her. Now his mind spun with the endless possibilities of how exactly he was going to ask her out. Lots of people would assume sex would seal the deal, but he wasn’t going to be that guy. He was too much of a gentleman to officiate their relationship with sex.

As the shower water grew warmer, he could hear footsteps behind him. He turned around, face heating up for what felt like the millionth time.

Piper stood, still donning his massive shirt, a little silver foil square between her fingers. The glint in her eyes was unmistakable.

“You are insatiable,” he finally muttered, shaking his head. “If I would’ve known I was making a monster, I wouldn’t have slept with you.”

She laughed, tossing her head back. “Oh, c’mon, you can’t tell me that you weren’t thinking about it,” she challenged.

He knew she was right, so he kept his mouth shut.

Slipping the condom between her lips, she hitched up her shirt, pulling it over her head and tossing it to the ground in one swift movement. She pulled down her underwear as well, stepping out of the fabric before putting the condom back into her hand.

Jason’s throat felt dry. He was afraid if he spoke, his voice would fail him.

“Is the water warm?” She approached the shower, sticking a hand in to test. “Oh, perfect, you got it—”

He surged forward, slamming his lips into hers. She was evidently taken by surprise, stiff for a moment before kissing him back with the same level of intensity that he was showing her. Her arms wrapped tightly around him, goosebumps rising on his skin as she pressed her body up against his. One hand gripped her side, the other forcing his boxers off, which was a difficult task since he was only using one hand. Once he got his boxers off and stepped out of them, his free hand moved to her leg, gripping her outer thigh tightly. She got the hint, jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist. He could feel the foil of the condom wrapper against his neck, which was still clenched in her fist.

“Jesus, Jason,” she whispered huskily in his ear, her voice alone putting him on edge. “And you called _me_ the insatiable one.”

He didn’t answer her, instead stepping under the steady stream of hot water.

* * *

As Jason observed yesterday, while Rome was beautiful, the city paled in comparison to Piper.

They visited the Colosseum, which was one of the most iconic structures in the city. Being there was a dream come true itself, but the fact that he was holding Piper’s hand as they toured made the whole experience even more surreal. When he rattled off an endless list of facts about the Colosseum, he noticed how her brown eyes sparkled and the way she smiled at him. As she stared around at her surroundings, he couldn’t help but take pictures of her since he wanted to savor this trip forever.

The day continued, the two of them exploring the city without a care in the world. This certainly did not feel like friendship anymore; they were holding hands and every so often she’d stand on her toes to kiss him and even though it was a hot day, looking at her felt like diving straight into cold water. She was something that he never expected to find, a peaceful element that made him forget who is family was yet every time he looked over at her, it felt as though a storm was brewing within him, which was the very opposite of peaceful. She kept him on his toes, an anchor that reconnected him with himself. He’d lost himself at the beginning of summer with the arrival of his newfound fame and she was the one who was a bridge between his old life and new life. He felt like he could act himself around her even in the midst of the media and tabloids.

Later that afternoon, while they were in a store browsing just for fun, when Jason caught sight of some trashy gossip magazine. Although the main picture was of some boyband member, the smaller picture in the corner was of him and Piper— the one from the baseball game.

Piper caught sight of the magazine with a frown, touching his arm lightly. “Jason, it’s—”

“Not a big deal,” he finished for her. When she looked surprised, he grinned at her. “Well, the media does think we’re dating. They’re not completely wrong.”

She looked like she was suppressing a smile. “Is that so?” she murmured.

“Would you say that we’re not dating?”

“I don’t know. We might be.” There was a shine in her eyes that made his stomach flutter with anticipation.

It wasn’t until after they had dinner that Jason got over his nerves (which he shouldn’t have had in the first place, granted that he knew she liked him back). They were walked through a crowded plaza when they stumbled upon a small band playing in the center, seated by a fountain. One of them strummed a guitar, another played upright bass, someone else playing the violin. While most people walked past the band, there was a small group of people dancing to the beat of the music.

“Wanna dance?” Piper elbowed him lightly, tilting her head up at him.

He blinked. “Huh?”

“You. Me. Music. Dancing.” She spoke slowly, evidently teasing his inability to reply. “Have you heard of that before, Jason?”

“Shut up.”

“But seriously.” She gestured to the band. “We’ve got music. We’re in Rome. You can’t tell me that dancing doesn’t sound amazing right now.”

“I can think of a few things that sound more amazing right now.”

She rolled her eyes. “If that was an innuendo, Jason Grace, I will kick your ass.” She squeezed his hand, pulling him towards the plaza. “We’re gonna dance.”

He pretended to make a fuss out of it when in reality, he didn’t mind dancing all that much. At his school, they had to take ballroom lessons as freshmen. He knew he could dance just fine, but there was a certain intimacy that dancing required— the kind of intimacy that would make him want to melt into a puddle.

Piper wrapped her arms around him as he securely wrapped his arms around her waist. They began to sway to the beat, not exactly dancing (it was more of a shuffle), but Jason wasn’t going to say anything about that. He was enjoying himself far too much, their proximity giving him an excuse to kiss her forehead whenever he wanted.

“See, it’s not so bad,” she murmured, angling her head up to look at him.

“I guess not.” He stopped moving, hands on her waist preventing her from moving as well. “Piper?”

“What is it?”

His hands were shaking and he didn’t know why— he knew her answer to the question he was about to ask. “I know this seems so sudden, but I’ve liked you for such a long time… I…” He felt silly for even feeling the need to ask.

When he looked back to her face, he saw that she looked like she was trying not to smile. “If you’re asking me to be your girlfriend, I thought our kiss yesterday consummated that,” she informed him. “I’ve been calling you my boyfriend in my head the entire day.”

His face felt even more flushed, looking at the girl who was apparently his girlfriend without his knowledge, raising an eyebrow. “When I asked you about it earlier, you said that you weren’t sure if we were actually dating!”

“I wanted to see if you’d actually ask me,” she said lightly, shrugging. “I was mistaken.”

“You didn’t think that I’d ask?”

“Well, technically you didn’t, but you made an effort to.”

He rolled his eyes, grabbing her chin lightly and gazing into her eyes. “Was that a yes?” he asked dryly. He could handle her sarcasm if that meant being in a relationship with her.

She smiled, the sincerity and genuine glow in her eyes undeniable. “Yes, Jason, I’ll be your girlfriend,” she confirmed. “Happy?”

Even though he knew she was joking, he couldn’t resist not answering. He kissed her, knocking that playful look off her face when their lips met. When he pulled away, she blinked, cheeks pink.

“Happier than you’ll ever know,” he replied easily.

Laughing, she nuzzled her face against his neck, the entire plaza melting away until his full attention was on her. “God, what are we going to tell Mellie and Athena?” she asked. “We’re going to be so screwed.”

“It’s all worth it,” was his simple answer. “I really don’t care. I’m happy, they should be too.”

Judging by the soft look in Piper’s eyes, Jason knew that she felt the same way about facing their parents’ agents; they couldn’t care less as long as they were together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter song is the edge of tonight by all time low


	20. Nothing Else Could Get Much Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life can't get better than this, which means there's only one way to do: down.

Being Jason’s girlfriend made Piper feel different. It was weird; she never saw herself as the type of person whose life would flip when they got into a relationship, but it certainly felt that way now.

Dating him was like the first rainfall after a dry summer, watching in anticipation as the clouds grew dark and finally feeling the flicker of change as the first raindrops hit the pavement. Dating him was like getting out of school for the summer, feeling the stress being lifted from her shoulders as the possibilities of what to do next seemed endless. Dating him was like a dream, escaping from reality for a little while to explore a better place.

Dating him also, unfortunately, turned her into a huge sap, but that was mostly because he was a giant sap as well.

It wasn’t like she didn’t like her life as it was— sometimes it was difficult being the only daughter of two millionaires, granted the doomed fate of never having privacy, though there was never a true moment where she truly resented her life. Without her dad, she never would have met Percy or Leo, who meant the entire world to her. Without her mom, she wouldn’t have Silena, someone who was enjoyable to be around when their paths crossed every so often. Her family may have prevented her from having complete and utter normalcy, but this was how she found Jason. She could never resent her fate when it brought someone like Jason into her life.

Maybe she was so enchanted because she hadn’t been in a real relationship before. There were flings with some people throughout high school, though she could count them on one hand. They hadn’t been serious and ended after a few weeks. It was hard dating anyone when her dad was in Hollywood; she felt as though she could never get close to anyone or they’d take advantage of her name. With Jason, he understood her struggles since his mom was in the same position as her dad.

He had definitely opened up to her when they became friends, although the time he broke out of his shell was hazy between the lines they crossed from friendship into liking each other. They argued about this before going to bed the night he officially asked her out. He ended up winning by default, leaning over and kissing her until she couldn’t remember what she was going to say.

She didn’t drop any specifics to Percy and Leo about her relationship with Jason. They were relentless, asking her for updates, and she kept it vague, telling them that they were having fun. She didn’t want to tell them that Jason was now her boyfriend and they had sex within an hour of their first kiss over text. Certain things needed to be told in person. At first, she felt silly for waiting, but when she asked Jason about it, he told her that he was waiting to tell Annabeth until he saw her in person as well.

Even if they were withholding their relationship status from their friends, they must have known. In the middle of the week, Jason posted a picture of Piper onto Instagram while they were at lunch and even though her face wasn’t showing, it was obviously her— the dark hair and multiple ear piercings was a dead giveaway. The caption was innocent:  _ When in Rome. _ She posted her own photo, this one of him in St. Peter’s Square, her caption just as innocent:  _ thanks to jason, i know now at least 150 facts about vatican city. _ Even though the pictures didn’t hint at any sort of a relationship, everyone knew the truth. If fans knew, there was no way that Percy, Leo, or Annabeth didn’t know.

Not only did the first few days with Jason feel so effortless, but it was also pure fun. He seemed to be able to read Piper’s mind and even when he didn’t, he seemed exuberant to follow her lead in many of her ideas. Half of her humor depended on self-deprecating jokes, which he always disagreed with, not seeming to care that she was just joking. Each time he reached down to hold her hand, her heart did a little relay race, feeling as giddy as she did when she discovered her feelings for him. He seemed to like her just as much as she liked him, which was reassuring since she liked him more than she could put into words.

The sex wasn’t a bad thing either. They didn’t jump at every opportunity to have sex, but they definitely took advantage of having their own hotel room. He was almost intimidatingly hot and was even hotter in bed, if that was possible. Even though she wasn’t the only one to initiate sex, he teased her relentlessly about being a sex addict. (She told him that they were never having sex again for that joke and then  _ he _ acted like the real sex addict.)

Their time in Rome was a dream. It had to have been because there was no way Piper could have experienced the vacation in real life. It was one of the most beautiful cities in the world and she explored it while holding hands with Jason Grace.

Then again, it couldn’t have been a dream because there was no way her mind could create something so perfect.

Her favorite day of the trip was when they went to Vatican City. The sights were incredible— the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Gardens of Vatican, St. Peter’s Square. Everything was beautiful and so rich with history. She knew that there was a rich history throughout Rome before Jason began to rattle off more random facts about each place they visited, but he looked cute when he slipped into history mode, so she didn’t even try to tell him to shut up.

_ Wow, you love telling people to shut up, you must really like the guy,  _ the snarky part of her thoughts informed her.

And she did really like him. It hadn’t taken very long for him to worm himself into her life, to fight his way for a rightful spot in her thoughts and her heart. This relationship was terrifyingly new, fresh, and sometimes she still felt like she was walking on ice; one wrong move and maybe he wouldn’t be interested in her anymore. In a way, it felt like they had reverted back to their old dynamic of her having to bite her tongue because she was worried she’d offend him; now she bit her tongue because the idea of having him find her uninteresting was too overwhelming to even risk.

Of course, the more rational side of her knew that Jason wasn’t the kind of person to see one flaw as a dealbreaker in a relationship. He’d acted that way originally since his life was fifty shades of messy, which caused him to lash out on someone who he envied. It was weird to look back on the first time they met. Of course, she would gladly take his glaring all over again in order to get to this bliss.

When the last night in Rome arrived, they arrived back to the hotel decently early to pack up their things and get to bed. Their flight was so early that they needed to arrive at the airport at four in the morning, which Piper was not particularly happy with, but Jason didn’t seem to mind. She was a little upset that their vacation was over, even more upset that school was due to start in a little under a month as well.

As she lamented her thoughts to him in bed, he nodded, the lights reflected off his glasses. He was shirtless, which she liked a little too much, unable to keep her hands to herself, tracing her fingertips along his bare chest as he spoke.

“You’ll be fine. It’s just one more year,” he reminded her. “Then you’re off to college. UCLA, no doubt.”

She snorted. “Yeah, their acceptance rate is ridiculous, Jason. Eighteen percent or something crazy.”

“Hey.” He kissed her forehead. “You’re smart. They’d be stupid not to take you.”

“And you?” She reached up, tracing the scar on his lip. “Stanford?”

“Who knows?” He sighed, giving her a sad smile. “But let’s not worry about that now.”

“Why?”

“Because.” He cupped her cheek in his hand. “We’re in Rome for only one more night. Let’s not worry about life.”

“Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?”

He rolled his eyes and chuckled. “It’s me. You’ve rubbed off on me.”

“Oh, thank god. You were okay before, not counting the moodiness, and the fact that you took forever to admit that you liked me, and—”

To shut her up, he leaned forward, kissing her. She responded a little too enthusiastically, wrapping her arms around him eagerly. She only pulled away when she was breathless, panting for air as her head spun.

“Can’t believe you didn’t just try to seduce me,” he murmured playfully, winking at her.

It was her turn to roll her eyes. “I have to be awake at three, so I need my energy. Plus we’re out of condoms and I’m not about to go buy some.”

He laughed, shaking his head gently. “You’re going to be the death of me, Piper McLean.”

“Just because we can’t have sex doesn’t mean we can’t kiss,” she offered hopefully.

Even though he scoffed, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Needless to say, their last night in Rome was not a bad one.

* * *

Waking up at three in the morning was pure hell. Pure and utter hell. When she woke up, Jason was already dressed, looking bright and sunshiney as per usual, which made her want to rip his face off, even when he handed her a latte and kissed her forehead. He may have been sweet, but nothing could make her feel better about waking up early.

She continued to shuffle around like a zombie even with her coffee. In the airport, she probably would’ve collapsed if not for her boyfriend, who kept his arm around her as they navigated through the building. As they waited for their flight to board, she slept on his shoulder, legs draped across his lap. It definitely wasn’t the most comfortable nap in the world, but she managed to sleep for thirty minutes before their plane boarded.

Luckily, the plane ride gave her an excuse to nap again. When she woke up, she saw that Jason was watching  _ The Avengers _ (of course he was, the nerd). She snuggled up next to him, grinning to herself when he casually kissed her forehead. She could certainly get used to his random acts of affection.

Thirteen hours in the air passed like years and by the time they landed, she felt as though she’d been disconnected from reality for ages. She stared out the window at LAX, watching several airplanes lifting off and more landing. Sighing, she reached down and grabbed her backpack. Jason, who had been sound asleep, woke up, yawning and lifting up his glasses to rub his eyes.

“I’m glad to sleep in my own bed tonight, but I’d rather be back in Rome,” he murmured as he stood up, pocketing his AirPods and pulling his backpack straps over his shoulders.

“You and me both,” she muttered, watching as the flight attendant opened the door. It was ten in the morning in LA, though she felt like she could sleep right then and there. “This jet lag is about to kick my ass.”

“Mhm.” Jason nodded in agreement. “Maybe we can go nap at my place.”

She contemplated that, shrugging. Her dad was in North Carolina still shooting for the movie, so it wasn’t like she needed to go home to see him right away. “Sounds tempting. Are you sure you want to just sleep, Grace?”

He laughed, wrapping his arm around her. “Yes, I am sure,” he insisted. “You wish we weren’t going to sleep.”

“Caught me.”

As soon as the door was open, they stepped off the plane. When they stepped foot in the airport, she had to accept the fact that their time in Rome was truly over.

“Home sweet home,” Jason murmured dryly. “It can’t be that bad being back though, right?”

Piper should’ve knocked on wood right then, but she just rolled her eyes, not expecting for the universe to take Jason up on that challenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song for this chapter is collarbones by thomston!
> 
> i know this chapter is pathetically short (i think it's the shortest chapter in the fic by far), but hey, next chapter is much longer than this. plus i left it off with a kind of cliffhanger? does an ominous chapter count as a cliffhanger? who knows.
> 
> thanks for reading, guys!


	21. You Better Know It's Done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Insert gif of someone saying "this is not good".

They were halfway to baggage claim when Jason glanced at his phone.

There was a message from Annabeth. He wasn’t too concerned with it; she was probably wondering when he landed. If he hadn’t looked carefully, he would’ve slipped his phone back into his pocket and ignored it until later.

_Your dad interviewed with People._

He stopped in his tracks right when he read the message.

In an instant, Piper was at his side. “Jason? What’s wrong?”

His head felt like someone shoved cotton into his skull. The only time his dad ever agreed to interviews was if it pertained to the business, which meant it was usually business magazines. But People was obviously not a business magazine. If his dad wasn’t talking business, there was only one other thing he could possibly discuss in an interview.

“Jason?” Piper’s voice was laced with concern. “Look at me. What’s wrong?” He risked a glance up, shadows on her face since she had pulled her hood up.

“My dad.” His voice sounded hollow. “He… he interviewed with _People._ ”

“ _People_?” Her eyebrows pulled together, an incredulous look on her face. “Why would he interview with _People_? He’s the CEO of a tech company.”

“My mom.”

Piper’s face fell. “You don’t know what he said.”

He was clicking the link to the interview that Annabeth had sent as Piper spoke. “I don’t, but it’s my dad. Notorious for making himself look better.”

“You don’t know that, Jason.”

He didn’t want to disagree with her, but the title was not promising at all: **_Beryl Grace’s Husband Reveals His Heroism._ **

Skimming through the beginning of the interview, Jason looked for any intriguing parts of the interview. He felt Piper’s eyes staring craters into his head, but he couldn’t look up. Not now.

And then he found it.

_I’m the reason Beryl is sober, I’d like to think. Her alcoholism sent Thalia away, and her behavior was dangerous to Jason. I knew it was in my son’s best interest to send him away. I was supportive of my wife through it all, and I’ll admit, at times it was difficult. All she had was me. I put my work on the line because I love her. By sending Jason away, I think I motivated her to get better, even though it took a few years. If not for me, she’d still be drunk. Any other person would’ve walked out of the marriage, and I didn’t. Even when things got tough, I stuck around._

Jason’s hands were shaking, but he kept reading. A few paragraphs down and the interviewer asked about Jason.

_Well, he is my son. I’m certain he didn’t pick up traits from his mother. He’s a good kid. He has a good girlfriend, is doing well in school. He plans on going to Penn for business like me. Life has been difficult for him too, his mom being an alcoholic and all, but I was there for him. He’ll turn out fine._

The anger tinted Jason’s vision red. The world seemed to tilt at an alarming rate, everything shaky around the edges. It felt like there was something lodged in his throat, preventing him from breathing properly.

All of it was bullshit. All of it. When his mom was drunk, his dad wasn’t there— he was off sleeping with other women. He sent Jason away because he didn’t want to be accountable for his own child. Their marriage was lifeless, now a simple legal obligation because of the prenup and to stay out of media’s hungry grasp. If anything, Jason was going to turn out fine to spite his father. There was no way that he was going to be a businessman. He was never going to end up like his dad. He didn’t want to be a sorry excuse of a man.

This was Hollywood’s painful wrath. The reporters ate up false narratives because the people were drama-hungry. They pinned the problems to the women and made the men seem like a hero. It wasn’t like Beryl wasn’t completely innocent, because she wasn’t; she had done some awful things before. But his dad wasn’t some heroic victim. His dad had dirt on his hands.

Piper must have read the article because she put her phone down, shaking her head rapidly. “Jason, we both know that’s a lie.”

“But the rest of the world doesn’t know.” His vision was still shrouded with red. It felt like someone was shoving a branding iron down his throat.

“Who cares? You’re the one who knows this isn’t real. It’s a stupid story. Ignore it.”

“Easy for you to say.” He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm.

“I’ve been there, Jason. I’ve gotten through it. You know Athena. She’ll clear everything up. And even if she doesn’t, it’ll be okay. You’ve gotten through rumors before. Just look at us. You’re fine. _We’re_ fine.”

He closed his eyes, his heart thumping uncomfortably fast. He turned in the direction of baggage claim, head down, making his way towards there. He needed to leave the airport as fast as possible. The longer he was there, the angrier he got.

Piper grabbed his arm. “Jason, stop. Let’s talk about this.”

“About what? My dad being a massive asshole?” His voice was bitter, his response clipped. The same negativity was washing over him all over again. He felt the same way he had when he first met Piper. Rather than try to expel the feelings, he embraced it. He welcomed the anger with open arms. “There’s nothing to talk about. I hate him.”

“I know.” Her brown eyes were filled with remorse. “But bottling it up won’t do you any good.”

“I hate him. He’s a dick. I never want to turn out like him.” He felt like he needed to scream, but he couldn’t. Not in the middle of LAX. “I never want to do anything he asks of me ever again. I don’t want to go to Penn. I don’t want to be a business major. Fuck, I don’t want to go back to that school. He can’t get rid of me just because he doesn’t wanna deal with me.”

“Then don’t.”

He looked at Piper, her face eerily calm despite the situation. “What?” he demanded.

She didn’t flinch away from the edge in his voice. “Don’t listen to your dad. He’s never home anyways, so why should you go back to that school? You’re eighteen. Make your own decisions.”

He didn’t realize his fists were clenched until his fingernails dug into his palms. He tried to process what she was saying, but the blinding anger made it difficult for him to follow along. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t go back to that school. Transfer to my school. You can be with me and Leo for your senior year.”

He processed what she was saying. Her voice was gentle, earnest, her eyebrows pulled together. As always, she was concerned about him. But her tone did not match her words. He was standing in the middle of an airport, entire body shaking, and she was focused on him transferring to her school.

It was at that moment that their differences seemed monumental. The world was shaky around him, lies surfacing after years of being under the radar. But naturally the media would eat this up; people consumed news based on how dramatic it was. In a heteronormative world, the idea of a male savior and a damsel in distress was enough to morph the true story into some convoluted fantasy. His mom’s disease was not an excuse for his dad to go off and cheat and send his own son away to a boarding school.

But Piper didn’t get it. She couldn’t grasp what Jason went through.

“That’s your solution?”

She looked confused by his question. “What?”

He inhaled. “My dad has done all of this to me and my mom and your solution is just to make him mad by not going back to my school.”

“I…” She blinked, still not understanding what he was saying. “You said you didn’t want to go back, Jason. So I encouraged you to do what you want.”

“By going to your school.”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t understand.” He stared at her, years of bitterness welling up inside of him, threatening to spill over and explode.

“Maybe I don’t, but I’m trying to.” Piper tried reaching forward and he withdrew his hand. “Jason, I’m sorry if I said something insensitive—”

“That’s the point.” He sounded drained, tired. As they stood in the middle of a busy section of the airport, people slowed to watch. It evidently wasn’t a friendly conversation, but luckily their hoods and Jason’s glasses hopefully kept their identities hidden. “You try to. You try but you still say things that show you _can’t_ understand me.”

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and he could practically see the gears turning in her head. “Not many people understand you,” she said slowly. “Your life is… unique. Hardly anyone has been through what you have.”

“Annabeth understands me.” The anger seeped into his voice.

“You’ve known Annabeth your entire life,” she protested. “I met you at the beginning of the summer. That was two months ago. I’m trying here, Jason. I’m trying my best but I can’t always anticipate things like this happening.”

He took another steadying breath. He really thought that they had similar upbringings but now he knew that she would never fully grasp the situation. She was Hollywood’s golden love child, born from love and protection. She was everything Jason wished he was. The jealousy he had not felt in weeks seemed to energize his system then. As he stared at her, he saw less of the girl he was crazy about and more of the girl who carried her name like a weapon for the things she wanted.

He was one of the things she had wanted. She saw him, wanted him, and got him.

“This is exactly the kind of life I didn’t want,” he informed her. “I didn't want to be in the spotlight. But you…” He gestured at her, watching as her brown eyes grew more panicked with each passing word. “I could have avoided the tabloids. I could have kept my head down.”

“You don’t know that,” she replied quickly. “You know paparazzi. They’re ruthless.”

“Maybe.” His hands were shaking. “Or maybe I could’ve stayed in the shadows. The worst of it started when you yelled at me. You pulled me into your world and I didn’t want it. I don’t want to be a part of that kind of life.”

Her eyes widened at his words. “What are you saying?” she whispered, voice ragged. She seemed oblivious to the fact that people stared as they walked past.

“You didn’t really think this would work out, did you?” He shook his head. “We were caught up for a second in the idea of each other. We thought that we could have a normal relationship even though our parents are famous. But we can’t and I don’t want to be in a relationship under the public eye.”

When her brown eyes welled up with tears, he came to the realization that he had never seen her cry. “You’re breaking up with me?” she asked. The words shook, her voice thick as her glossy eyes stared him down.

“I already did.” He was numb, the words hanging heavily over them. “We’re too different. Our lives will never work. Your past and mine will conflict too much. All we can do is hurt each other. The media is just gonna tear us apart. We should stop this before it gets serious.”

He thought he saw a tear fall, but she swiped the back of her hand across her face before he was certain. “Serious.” Despite the fact she was upset, she laughed, the noise brittle and shaky. “Right. Okay.” She squared her shoulders and now he was sure that she was crying. The tears were streaming down her cheeks relentlessly, the anger in the pit of his stomach letting up some. “I’m sorry for trying to help.”

“You tried, but we can’t help each other.” His voice sounded far away. Even if he wasn’t sure about his decision, he had to be now. The deed was done.

Her eyes were bloodshot already, her bottom lip trembling. Her eyes looked at the small crowd of people who were watching and immediately they turned away.

“Take care of yourself, Jason.” Piper’s voice was torn, choking a bit on his name. When she spun around and walked away from him, he got an eerie feeling of déjà vu— he remembered when she turned away from him when she called him out for his shit.

The envy and anger left with her. When she disappeared into the crowd, the burning hot anger was replaced with a strange coldness. He wanted to yell out to her but he knew once he yelled her name, their secrecy would be broken. If these people didn’t know who they were, they certainly would when he said her name.

It took him too long to decide to go after her. He weaved through the crowds, attempting to follow the signs to baggage claim. There were so many people, all of them seemingly closing in on him. He went the wrong way twice, each time his heart pounding a little too hard for his liking and he could taste something sour in his mouth. By the time he finally made his way to baggage claim, he was shaking.

His suitcase was waiting for him. He spun around, but there was no sign of Piper. He couldn’t find her suitcase either.

_What did I do?_

Hands still shaking, he grabbed his suitcase, quickly making his way towards the parking garage. Assuming she was still here, she was evidently not going to ride back with him. Who would? He had dumped her in the middle of one of the world’s most crowded airports.

_I just dumped the girl I’m in love with._

The thought of the L-word made his stomach churn. For a second, he thought he was going to kneel over and puke. He fucked up. He fucked up so bad.

He tried calling her. It went straight to voicemail. He tried calling again and again her voice telling him to leave a message filled his ear.

If Jason hadn’t wanted to die before, he certainly wanted to die now.

By the time he made it to his Jeep, he felt ready to collapse. He sat there in disbelief, unable to grasp his actions. The scene at the airport felt like a dream, as if he was watching from someone else’s perspective because there was no way in hell he had just dumped Piper in the middle of LAX. Even the damaged Jason who suffered from childhood trauma was not that stupid. _This isn’t real, this isn’t real, this isn’t real—_

But it was real. It was real and there was no taking any of that back. Jason’s recovery was a load of bullshit. He wasn’t better and in the process of that realization, he broke a perfectly good person.

He only got a mile down the freeway before he realized he was more like his dad than he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song for this chapter is the breakup by LANY.
> 
> ...i'm sorry? but not really?


	22. I Was Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought last chapter was bad? Honey, you got a big storm coming.

Breakups in the airport were the most cliché plot device ever, Piper used to think. Airports were a place of destination— one person went one way, the other went the another. It seemed fitting, a place where someone could distance themselves physically and emotionally. Movies with dramatic breakup scenes at the airport used to make her roll her eyes and complain about the cheesiness of it all. Public breakups were gross and messy and the pain obviously would have been numbed since there were always onlookers.

That’s what she used to think.

As she maneuvered her way through the airport, relentless tears falling from her eyes, she realized that the pain was only heightened in the public eye. There was the hurt from the breakup on top of the humiliation of crying in public. She wasn’t a crier. She hardly ever cried.

This wasn’t a shitty plot device in a romance movie. She had just been dumped in LAX.

She should have known. Her life never went that perfectly. She never got the guy and stayed in a happy relationship and felt at peace. They got together because they were in another country and away from Hollywood for a second. Coming back to LA meant facing reality; there had been a reason they hadn’t gotten together here. They didn’t get together because they came from two very different worlds. Even if there was a possibility that they could overcome their differences, the media would find a way to tear them apart.

Once she got to baggage claim, she made a beeline towards the bathroom. It was empty, so she stumbled to the sink, gripping the sides and sobbing. Her chest heaved, her hands shaking around the porcelain. It was the strangest, most grueling feeling ever, standing there and watching as her life collapsed to the ground. She was the type of person to promise to never build her world around someone, yet Jason had forced his way into her life and in the past two months, she had lost her way and let some silly blond boy sweep her up in those damn blue eyes.

_ Jason. _

The thought of his name made her cry harder.

After a few minutes, she remembered that she was in a public bathroom in LAX, so she forced herself to get a grip. She stood up straight, her eyes and nose bright red from crying so hard. Her chest felt hollow and she hastily dug out her sunglasses from her backpack, slipping them on so no one would see her eyes. She would cover up until she made it back into the safety of her own home.

Home. Fuck, how was she supposed to get home? There was no way she was going to hit up her newly ex-boyfriend and ask him for a ride home. Leo was probably at work. Percy was probably with Annabeth. Her dad was in North Carolina.

Like any other independent girl, she pulled out her phone and ordered herself an Uber. Since it was LAX and people were constantly leaving and entering the airport, one was ready, so she secured her sunglasses on her face and left the bathroom. She kept her head down, her hood blocking her face. She braced herself in case paparazzi appeared but none did. The only time she relaxed was when she got into her Uber.

“Headed to Malibu?” Her driver turned around, looking at her. If he noticed that she had been crying, he didn’t comment on it.

“Yeah.” Her voice was brittle and nasally, a dead giveaway that she’d been bawling just minutes ago.

“That’s expensive. You sure you got the money for it?”

“I’ve got it covered.” She leaned back, clenching her jaw to prevent her from crying. “Don’t worry about the costs.”

The driver’s eyes flickered in the rearview mirror. He looked concerned, but ultimately he kept his mouth shut. He was probably scared of getting a lower rating if he intruded on her personal space. She was certain that if he did try and dissect her problems, she would cry all the way back to Malibu and nobody, herself included, wanted that to happen.

The entire drive back, her phone kept vibrating. Rather than look at the alerts on her phone, she turned it off, not wanting to see who was trying to message her. She wasn’t sure if it was Jason or her friends, so she didn’t bother risking looking down.

_ Hey to whoever is in control of the universe, if you could make my life less shitty, that’d be cool. _

For a Saturday morning, the traffic wasn’t too awful. She stared out the window, trying to listen along to the radio, but it was some shitty pop radio, half of the artists talking about drugs and the other half singing about love, which was another wonderful reminder that she had just gotten dumped in public.

The drive crawled along painfully slow and by the time the car pulled up in front of her house, she could feel the prick in her eyes that signaled more tears were coming. She hastily thanked the driver, knowing her credit card had already been charged, grabbing her backpack and suitcase before making her way to the front door.

Her house was eerily quiet, her footsteps and the wheels of her suitcase echoing around the foyer as she shut the door behind her. At that moment, she wished that her dad wasn’t in North Carolina because she had never been this hurt before in her entire life and all she wanted was a hug from him. At least that would make her feel better. She just needed something to numb her emotions even if it was temporary.

Leaving her suitcase in the foyer, she made a beeline to the kitchen, sunglasses pushed onto her head, hood still halfway up. She probably looked disgusting after a thirteen-hour flight, but she was home and on the verge of tears again and she didn’t care. She opened up her dad’s liquor cabinet and went immediately for the tequila bottle. Her dad didn’t usually drink so she knew he wouldn’t miss it.

As soon as she unscrewed the lid and began drinking, ignoring the awful taste, she started to cry again. The sobs made her chest heave and her entire body felt weak and she sank to the tile below, clutching the tequila bottle to her chest like a lifeline as she cried. She didn’t want to think about how Jason undermined her actions and ripped her to shreds all in one breath. He had broken up with her as if he never cared in the first place. The more she thought about it, the more she cried. The more she cried, the more she drank.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but the tequila bottle was much lighter than it had been originally in her fist. Her head spun and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stand and she knew she was well on her way to being dangerously drunk but she wanted to get rid of the pain and drinking would hopefully numb the pain. It was the only escape she could think of.

It wasn’t doing her any good to be alone, so she flimsily grabbed her phone, ignoring the missed calls and going to her contacts. She hit the number and pressed the phone to her ear, hiccuping between sobs.

“Piper!” Percy’s voice was excited and his voice seemed softer than usual, a low hum in the background. “I was actually on my way over to your house since I know your flight landed a few hours ago. You’re home, right? I hope you are or else I’d—”

“Percy,” she mumbled out, hiccuping as she spoke his name.

He was silent for only a beat. “Pipes? What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

She couldn’t form words. She clutched the phone tighter to her ear and cried, breathing ragged and uneven. The tequila sloshed around inside of the bottle, the glass still pressed against her chest.

“I’m fifteen minutes away.” Percy’s voice was on edge, worry and panic laced into his words. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes, okay? Hang tight.”

When she hung up the phone, she lifted the bottle to her lips and gulped down another mouthful. Her throat and nose burned but she swallowed it like it was water.

Ten minutes later (an indication that he had sped the entire way there), the door opened and slammed shut. Footsteps sounded and it took him seconds to find her (she was crying very loudly, after all) on a heap on the kitchen floor, hoodie falling off her shoulders and sunglasses tangled in her hair and the tequila bottle half-empty in her arms. She looked up numbly, the entire world spinning. Through the haze of her drunkenness and the tears, she could see the terrified look on Percy’s face.

“Pipes?”

“Jason,” was all she could manage.

He looked confused, crouching down next to her. “What did Jason do?”

“He dumped me!” she wailed. “We dated for a  _ week _ and he dumped me like I didn’t matter.”

The look on Percy’s face was overwhelming. “What?” he demanded, voice practically a growl. “Where is he? I’m going to fucking kill him.”

“I—I don’t know. I took an Uber home,” she whispered shakily, lifting her shoulders, which hurt to do. Remembering the breakup all over again, she lifted the bottle up.

Percy snatched the bottle away before she could take a sip. He held it up and she fought him for it. She tried to grab it, clinging onto his arm when he wouldn’t let up. When he stood up, she tried to stand up as well only for her knees to buckle. If not for him, she would’ve fallen flat on her face.

“Jesus, you’re wasted,” he muttered, setting the bottle on the counter. “Come on.” As if she was weightless, he scooped her into his arms, ignoring her as she protested. He carried her out of the kitchen and up the stairs, only setting her down when they reached her bed. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“He broke up with me.” Her voice was raw, shaky around the edges since she was still crying. She was still clinging onto Percy, her fingers curled around the collar of his shirt. “He—he said that we only hooked up in Rome because we were away from reality for a while. That we were never gonna work ’cause of our parents.”

“Hooked up?” Percy’s body stiffened against hers. “Elaborate.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the fact that the room was spinning. “We had sex,” she said thickly. “I—I thought we had a chance. I thought he was getting over his issues but he’s not. He’s not and he can’t and he broke up with me at the airport.” A new round of hysterics washed over her.

Percy’s arms wrapped tightly around her, clutching her to his chest as she sobbed. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, untangling her sunglasses from her hair and tossing them aside, running his fingers through the strands instead. “I’m so, so sorry. He’s an ass.”

“He blamed everything on me. He said if I hadn’t yelled at him and didn’t become his friend, he’d still feel normal,” she cried against his chest. “He said that I’d never understand him and all we’d do is hurt each other because our pasts are too different. But we were happy and together and he still dumped me.”

When Piper started crying too hard to speak, she noticed that Percy’s arms were shaking around her. She angled her head up to look at him only to see that his face was red and his jaw was clenched. The only time she had ever seen him this mad was when some guy called Leo a racist name in the hallway.

“You were always too good for him.” Percy’s voice was brittle, a step beyond angry. “The next time I see him—”

“No,” Piper croaked, shaking her head. “Please, Percy. I love him.”

The sad truth was, she did love him. She loved him in a devastating, heartbreaking way because he broke up with her when she had already committed to loving him. She was certain that there was no way he could have felt the same way when he could leave her crying at the airport. Sure, maybe he did like her, but maybe he was just intrigued in her because she was a product of the good side of Hollywood. There was no way he felt the same way when he hurt her.

“You love him?” Percy’s voice was filled with disbelief. “Still doesn’t make up for what he did.”

“I love him and he  _ broke _ me.” She buried her face back against his chest and sobbed. Percy hugged her tightly, rocking back and forth as she cried.

It could have been hours, but she was finally lying down, still nuzzled against Percy’s chest, the tears had stopped, when she heard the door open. Her body felt like it weighed a million pounds as if someone had replaced the blood in her veins with sand, her head pounding and spinning from chugging half a bottle of tequila, so she couldn’t even open her eyes to look up. She was so drunk that she couldn’t think straight anyway so there was no way she could guess who it was.

“You watch her,” Percy murmured, gently prying himself away from Piper’s chest. She managed to squint, the light streaming through her curtains making it hard to concentrate. “I’ll be back.”

She wanted to sit up and tell Percy to stay, tell him not to do anything stupid, but she was afraid if she opened her mouth, she would puke. Instead, she blinked up at the person who just walked into her room, hazily staring at a head of curly hair.

Leo flashed a nervous smile, climbing onto the bed. “Hey, Pipes. Feeling better?”

She just shook her head, progressively feeling worse. Her eyes stung and nose felt stuffed and even if she was hydrated, she probably wouldn’t be able to cry anymore. Everything was still spinning and she was certain that if she didn’t throw up, she’d pass out cold.

“I’m so sorry.” Leo got into bed, wrapping her arms around her as Percy had. “You are one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. You don’t deserve that shit, Pipes. None of it. I wish I could tell that son of a bitch to his face.”

Still trying not to open her mouth, she gave him a confused look. How did he know about any of this?

He recognized the look on her face. “Percy texted me,” he said softly. “And I knew that you couldn’t be alone.”

Her eyes welled up with tears, but they weren’t necessarily sad ones. Her friends rallied behind her when she really needed them. She was afraid that she was going to start crying again, but Leo just kissed her forehead and held her tight.

She wasn’t sure if she had fallen asleep or just relaxed, but when her eyes flashed open, she could feel the world tilting dangerously, her stomach lurching. Pushing Leo away, she scrambled out of bed, so dizzy that she wondered for a second if she could walk. Stumbling over her own feet and unable to move in a straight line, she made it to the bathroom and managed to open the toilet lid before throwing up into it. She could feel one of Leo’s hands holding back her hair and the other rubbing her back as she gripped the edge of the seat, coughing and sputtering. 

_ I’m never drinking tequila again, _ she thought as another round of nausea hit her.

Leo found a hair tie and expertly tied her hair up into a ponytail, which she was beyond grateful for, but she couldn’t speak as she puked. When she was done, she rested her cheek on the cool surface of the toilet seat, closing her eyes to try and stop the room from spinning. Her stomach still churned uneasily, slipping from completely drunk to utterly trashed.

Piper didn’t realize that Leo had left until he set a glass of water beside her. “Drink, Piper, you’re probably dehydrated,” he encouraged, but she shook her head weakly. “Piper. You need water in your system. Please.” He slid the glass over and she turned away from it, still leaned against the toilet. “You can’t drink until you have alcohol poisoning just because some guy dumped you.”

The mention of Jason made Piper begin crying all over again, pressing her forehead to the back of her hand as the tears slipped out. Moments after she began crying, the bile rose up into her throat and she leaned over the toilet bowl to throw up again.

“Christ, Piper,” Leo muttered, rubbing her back. “Did you down the whole bottle?”

She groaned as she puked again.

After a few moments, she could hear Leo speaking, but it evidently wasn’t to her. “I’m sorry for calling, but Piper’s puking and she won’t drink water and she’s still crying and I don’t know what the fuck to do.” Silence. “I know, I just— I’m not as good at this as you are!” Another pause. “Okay, okay, I will. Hurry. Please. Bye.”

“Who was that?” Her voice was thick and didn’t sound like her own.

“Doesn’t matter.” Leo crouched behind her, rubbing her shoulders. “Are you feeling okay?”

She wiped the back of her hand across her eyes. “No,” she mumbled. “But I—I don’t think I’m gonna puke again.”

“Are you sure?”

Nodding, she closed the toilet lid and flushed it. She shakily stood up, still swaying, gripping the counter. She grabbed for the toothbrush that wasn’t there, groaning. “Can you go grab my suitcase? I need to brush my teeth.”

“Got it.” He squeezed her shoulder, looking worriedly at her before dashing out of the bathroom.

_ Good job Piper, you’ve given yourself alcohol poisoning and now your friends are terrified you’ll go off the deep end all in one go. _

Within moments, Leo was back, setting the suitcase down in her room and handing her the toothbrush. He stood beside her as she brushed her teeth, carefully wrapping an arm around her as she made her way back into her bedroom.

“Do you want to change into something more comfortable?” he offered gently as she sat on the edge of her bed. When she nodded, he went into her dresser, digging out some sweatpants and a crumpled black t-shirt. “Need helping getting changed?” When she shook her head, he left the room to allow her to change.

She decided that she was disgusting from her flight and her mini-meltdown as she undressed and got into the clothes he had picked out for her. The shirt was a Rolling Stones one, meaning it was either taken from Percy or Leo. She was too drunk to recognize who it belonged to. Her body felt exceptionally heavy today and everything hurt so she crawled into bed. Leo rejoined her in bed, wrapping her arms back around him.

“Do you need to talk about it?” he whispered.

“I don’t want to.”

“Do you need to cry?”

“Too dehydrated.”

He reached over to the bedside table, handing the water glass to her. He must have moved it while she was puking, not that she cared. She gulped down the water in one chug before handing the glass back and lying back down.

“Need to cry now?”

“Not really.”

That was sufficient for him. He ran his fingers through her hair, humming softly in her ear. She pressed her cheek against his chest, eyes shutting tightly, listening to his heart beating in his chest.

Years could have passed in silence when she heard footsteps on the carpet. She looked up just in time to see Percy climbing into bed on the other side of her. He looked worn down and tired, but the sight of him made her chest tighten in gratitude.

“You came back?” she mumbled.

“Of course.” He smiled, sliding into bed beside her. “Why wouldn’t I?”

The three of them were pressed together, limbs over limbs, and for a second, she reminisced on an easier time— back when they were in elementary school and would have big group cuddles and their biggest problems consisted of reading logs and bedtimes and whether or not their parents would let them hang out. Of course, they had more pressing issues than that, like the fact that Piper’s mom was never around and Percy’s first stepdad was a piece of shit and Leo didn’t even have a father figure but back then it was easier to pretend that everything was okay. Now they were practically grown up and Percy was set to leave for Santa Cruz in less than two months and Piper had gotten dumped by what used to be her biggest opponent and nothing was the same yet this proximity was similar.

“Thank you guys for this,” Piper whispered thickly, trying hard not to cry again. She  _ wasn’t _ going to cry. She wasn’t going to succumb to the pain again.

“We’ll always have your back, Pipes,” Leo reassured her easily.

Percy nodded, grabbing her hand and holding it. “We’ll be with you through it all, got it?”

She nodded, squeezing her eyes shut to fight back another round of tears. Even if her life was crumbling down around her, she could forget for a second that her world had turned upside down in a matter of hours. She was with her best friends and that was all that mattered.

Piper could almost pretend that Jason Grace didn’t have her entire heart. Almost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song for this chapter is clean by the japanese house!
> 
> i know you thought last chapter was bad. gonna be honest, lots of chapters are bad.
> 
> thanks for reading and i hope this chapter hurt :)))


	23. I Broke You Bad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I heard the calls for protective!Percy so I answered.

Jason hadn’t planned on going to Annabeth’s. He really hadn’t. He planned on going back to his house, climbing into bed, and letting the self-hatred eat him alive. But when he pulled into his driveway and stared at his house, he knew that it would only make him feel worse to enter the empty home. Without thinking, he started the engine again and pulled away from his house, his movements in autopilot as he drove to Annabeth’s. He wasn’t aware of his actions until he had unlocked the door to her house with his spare key and stepped inside.

He really needed for her to be here.

As he shut the door behind him, a head of curly blonde hair poked out from the kitchen. Annabeth blinked, looking surprised for a moment before breaking out into a smile. “Hey! I was going to call you to ask you how your trip went but I assumed you’d have jet lag. I’ve been meaning to ask you about Piper, I’m kinda pissed that you haven’t told me you guys are actually together.”

“We’re not.”

Looking shocked by his comment, she raised her eyebrows. “I’m not dumb. You guys are trying to be sneaky, I get that, but—”

“We’re not together because I broke up with her, Annabeth.” His voice shook for a moment and he cleared his throat because he was not about to break down here. “We were together and I broke up with her when we landed.”

“Why?” Annabeth’s eyes were wide, mouth slightly open. “Actually, no, come on. Let’s sit down.” She walked over, carefully put a hand on his back, leading him into the family room. Once they were sitting and after she typed something onto her phone, she reached over and grabbed his hand. “Okay. Talk. Tell me everything.”

He looked wearily at her, shrugging. “Telling you won’t take any of it back.”

“It might help. If you haven’t noticed, I’m pretty good at fixing your mistakes.” She gestured to him with her free hand. “Talk.”

Sighing, he tried to find a fitting place to begin. He shut his eyes, not liking how gentle Annabeth’s grey eyes were, trying to discover the beginning of the end. Once he found an appropriate place to start his story, which happened to be Piper falling asleep on his shoulder on the plane ride there, the words poured out like water straight from a dam. He looked down at his lap, knowing that she wouldn’t exactly approve of some of his decisions over the course of the past week. Sure, Annabeth wasn’t exactly the prime example of someone who made the most rational decisions when it came to emotions, but she’d never fucked up as badly as he had. His voice hitched around some of the details, like when Piper played footsies with him under the table and when she told him about her future plans and when he kissed her and the way he felt when he looked at her the morning after they had sex and the way she smiled when he asked her out and how her voice broke when she left him alone in the airport. The more he spoke, the more he hated himself. He was also reminded of how he’d called her repeatedly on the ride over to Annabeth’s, how he felt physically ill because he had no clue where she was. Was she still at the airport? Was she home? He had never made her this upset before (upset was a major understatement) and he had no idea how she dealt with her emotions. It made him reflect back on their limited time together and maybe, just maybe if they’d took their time with things, he could’ve recovered from his childhood trauma. His fucked up past prevented him from making an attempt at a stable future.

But he knew deep down that he loved Piper too much to sit back and idly wait to become more. He took that chance and then he fucked it up in a matter of days.

His stomach wobbled again when his story finished and he didn’t dare look up from his lap. He didn’t want to see the shame on Annabeth’s face when he already hated himself so much. He wanted to drown in the sea of regret that was washing over him.

“Jason…” Annabeth’s voice was hollow. “I—”

“I get it, I fucked up and I can’t fix this,” he responded flatly. “I just… I wasn’t  _ there. _ It was like something came over me and I couldn’t control what I was saying.”

“You were neglected as a kid. That interview triggered you. I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as you let on,” she countered, voice a little more strained than it usually was.

He shook his head. “You weren’t there. I told her that she could never understand and that her yelling at me dragged me into this mess. Still convinced it wasn’t that bad?”

She seemed to be at a loss for words, which was unlike her. She always had something to say, always had a solution. This time, she didn’t have anything to offer reassurance. Her lack of advice solidified Jason’s theory— he’d gone too far this time.

“See.” He looked out the window, chest tight with emotion. “I tried to get over everything and I can’t.”

“Some things you can’t recover from alone, Jason,” she murmured. “That’s a load of bullshit. You can’t kick yourself because you’re still suffering from your past. You need help. Real and actual help. I understand that Piper helped, but you need more than just a girlfriend to make you recover. Even if you love her.”

He scoffed, shaking his head. “Good thing she’s not my girlfriend anymore,” he offered weakly, hands shaking. “I really fucked up, Annabeth. I love her.”

“I know you love her.” Annabeth’s voice was apologetic now. “We all know. But I don’t think she does anymore.”

The thought of Piper not thinking that he reciprocated her feelings made him feel sick all over again.

But then again, he was nearly certain that she didn’t like him half as much as he liked her. While he was crazily in love with her to the point where it scared him, there was no way she could love him back. It was impossible. And even if she had felt the exact same way, there was no way she could feel the same way now. Not after he broke up with her in the middle of LAX.

“Jason, are you—”

“Can we just not talk right now, please?” he asked, closing his eyes and leaning back against the couch cushions. “Please, Annabeth. I—I can’t right now.”

The blonde looked like she wanted to talk more, but she nodded once. She leaned back against the couch as well, resting her head on his shoulder and lying so still that he wondered for a second if she was asleep. The only thing that assured him that she was still awake was her thumb moving back and forth across the back of his hand, their fingers still intertwined. Even though he was thankful that his best friend was here to let him vent, he wished it was Piper holding his hand instead.

He never hated himself more than he did at that moment.

They sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. He was contemplating leaving to wallow in his own self-pity when the front door opened.

Annabeth sat up, eyebrows pulled together in obvious confusion. “Mom?” she called timidly.

It wasn’t Athena—it was Percy, hair messy and a tired look on his face, his shoulders hanging a little heavier than usual. When his green eyes focused on Jason, he stood up straight, body rigid as his hands curled up into fists. Usually he looked like a laid-back guy but at that moment, he looked utterly terrifying.

_ Shit, _ Jason thought.  _ He’s definitely looking at me. _

“You fucking piece of shit,” Percy very nearly yelled, surging forward, looking ready to take a swing at Jason. “I swear to god, I will kick your ass.”

Jason didn’t have a fight in him since he knew that Percy’s anger was justified. Regardless of who was at fault, he really didn’t want to get punched. He stood up as well, prepared to defend himself.

Percy didn’t throw a punch. He got up in Jason’s face, an inch shorter but still scary nonetheless. Anger seemed to radiate off in waves from him, lips pulled back in a scowl. “I was nice for  _ her. _ I didn’t like you because you’ve made it a point to treat her like shit from day one, but she told me to take it easy on you. So I did that. But come on, dude, you treat her like shit and use her, and for what? What’s the point, Grace? If you hate the paparazzi so much, why fuck around with the girl who attracts them? I was actually starting to like you when you pull this bullshit. You fuck her and you leave her. Is that who you are? A hit it and quit it guy? I get it, Piper’s pretty, but she’s not the type of girl you do that to.”

Jason’s blood felt like it was boiling. Is that what Percy thought of their relationship? He thought that Jason used Piper for sex? His vision turned red and everything tunneled until all he could focus on was Percy’s face. He would never use Piper, ever. He wasn’t that kind of guy— or he used to not be. He wasn’t sure who he was anymore considering that he broke up with her despite being utterly in love with him (which scared him almost as much as his lack of control in LAX). But Percy’s eyes were fiery and he was insinuating that Jason was just using Piper for sex. Jason wasn’t really in control of his actions in his fit of anger because the next thing he knew he moved closer to Percy. 

In a flash, Annabeth was pulling them apart, one hand extended towards each of them.

“Okay, enough!” Annabeth’s voice was terrifying and Jason knew she was a force to be reckoned with. She looked back and forth between them, her grey eyes the same color as hurricane clouds. She pointed to each of them. “Both of you, sit down on the couch. Now.” By the way she spoke, Jason knew it wasn’t an invitation; it was an order.

Percy sent a deadly glare in Jason’s direction but seemed to calm down when Annabeth stepped forward, taking his hand. He focused his gaze on her instead, his jaw unclenching. She still looked unimpressed, pulling him towards the couch. Jason sat down first and Percy purposely plopped down on the other end of the couch. Annabeth stood in front of them, arms crossed.

“Yelling at each other isn’t going to fix anything,” she said simply. “Percy, I understand your anger.”

“I’m not angry. I’m pissed. I want to physically kill him,” Percy corrected her, which made her roll her eyes.

“Fine. I understand that you’re pissed, but killing Jason won’t resolve anything,” she informed him. “Not to mention that’s a felony.”

“Do you think I care about a felony?”

Annabeth sighed, shaking her head. “Percy,” she said wearily. “If you’re here on Piper’s behalf—”

“I’m not. I’m here on  _ my _ behalf.” Percy faced Jason again with the same  _ I’m going to kill you _ look as before and Jason’s stomach churned uncomfortably.

“So I’m assuming Piper told you everything?” Jason asked slowly.

For some reason, that question only further angered Percy. “Do you think you’re the only person Piper tells her secrets to? No, you’re not that special. She tells me everything. Which is why I want to kill you.”

“Percy!” Annabeth shook her head. “Stop saying that.”

“She’s my best friend. Imagine if she did this to him,” Percy responded, jaw tensing again. “Just pretend for a second that Piper treated Jason unfairly before even making an effort to get to know him, lash out on him just because his parents are famous, finally get with her on an expensive vacation only to dump him when they arrive home. Wouldn’t you be mad at her?”

Annabeth’s resolve wavered, Jason could see the hesitation written all over her face. She looked over at him, frowning. “I’m sorry, but Percy has a point.”

“I don’t blame him.” Jason took a shaky breath and tried to hide his shame as he looked at Percy. “I didn’t mean to.”

Percy blinked and looked even angrier than before. “You didn’t mean to,” he repeated in a monotone. “Do you think I’m a fucking idiot?”

“I didn’t!” Jason hated how his voice cracked under Percy’s harsh glare. “I didn’t even realize it was happening until it did. I had no control. My emotions took over. Ever since my mom—”

“Your shitty childhood doesn’t give you a right to continuously screw Piper over,” Percy shot back. “We’ve all had shitty lives. I’ve had a shitty life and you don’t see me treating Annabeth like crap. I also wouldn’t dump her in the middle of a goddamn airport.”

“My mom’s an alcoholic and my dad sent me away!” Jason didn’t need to be reminded of what an awful person he was, but Percy felt the need to throw his mistakes back in his face. “I had to practically raise myself since my mom was too drunk to do anything, and my dad got tired of me so he enrolled me in boarding school. Hollywood ruined my mom and tore my family apart.”

Percy’s eyes, while blazing before, were downright engulfed with anger. “My stepdad used to beat the shit out of me. My mom used to get hit right in front of me and I couldn’t do anything about it. I couldn’t do  _ anything. _ My dad wasn’t around and I hardly ever talk to him because he was too scared to raise a baby. But guess what? My dad got married to some other woman and has another son who’s literally only a year younger than me. That sucks. It makes me wonder sometimes if my dad just didn’t want me.” He pointed at Annabeth. “You know her, so you know her mom isn’t a prime example of good parenting. You know that her dad and stepmom are the worst.” He leaned closer to Jason, anger practically radiating off of his body in ripples. “Leo? He grew up without a dad. His mom got into a bad accident a few years back and almost died. If she would’ve died, he would’ve been shipped off to some horrible aunt who lives in Texas, or worse, ended up in the system. Don’t get me started on Piper. Her mom left her when she was young. Her dad was never around because he let the stardom get to his head, so she was alone. She didn’t have a family. All she had was me and Leo. She’s hated herself for as long as I can remember because she’s convinced that she’s not good enough for anyone. It was only this past year where she really started to do well, you know? She was doing fine and then you came in and  _ fucked _ her up. You say that your life is so horrible and that makes you act out. But you’re wrong. You act out because you’re a bad person.”

The impact of Percy’s words hit Jason like a punch to the gut. He sat there, eyes wide because he didn’t know half of that information until Percy snapped. The anger in his body ceased to exist, leaving a numbness behind. His problems didn’t seem so horrible after all, and he wondered what was wrong with him— he couldn’t get over his shit when everyone around him suffered more than he ever did. If he didn’t regret dumping Piper before, he certainly did now.

Annabeth seemed deflated as well. Jason wondered for a second if she had known those things before Percy announced them. “Percy…”

“I don’t need anyone’s pity.” Percy’s voice was hollow now, eyes unfocused, looking at nothing in particular. “I didn’t say those things to make you feel bad for me.”

“I—” Annabeth faltered. She kept her eyes on Percy, not allowing her eyes to flicker to Jason’s frozen form.

Percy looked like he was about to speak when his phone began ringing. He pulled it from his back pocket and looked at it, a worried look immediately forming on his face. He put it to his ear and answered, “Hello?” He was quiet for a few moments before squeezing his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Calm down, okay? Take a breath. Keep her upright and conscious. That’s the most important thing. We really don’t need her choking on her own vomit. Keep trying to get her to drink water.” He lapsed into silence again, letting the other person talk before responding, “Hey, no, you’re doing fine. If she keeps puking, put her in the shower. I’m coming back now. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He removed the phone from his ear, looking more tired than ever.

Even though Percy didn’t say any names, Jason knew he was talking about Piper. From the sound of it, she wasn’t doing too well. Jason’s self-hatred levels spiked.

“I need to go.” Percy stood, his eyebrows pulled together in obvious worry. 

Jason was suddenly standing too and he realized that his hands were shaking. “Is she okay? Please tell me. That’s all I want to know. I… I need to know.”

When Percy met his eyes, his green eyes weren’t so angry anymore. They were beaten down. Jason must’ve sounded really pathetic because he sighed, shaking his head. “Drunk off her ass. But Leo’s with her so she’ll be fine, I think.”

“Can you please tell me how she is when you get to her?” 

Jason must have been pushing his luck because Percy’s expression hardened. “I’ll tell Annabeth if I have time. I’ll be a little busy trying to make sure she’s not dehydrated from the crying and the puking.” Although he didn’t say anything explicitly rude, his tone was sharp like a slap in the face.

“Drive safe, please,” Annabeth murmured, voice slightly strained. “I know you want to get there quickly, but don’t go too fast. Okay?”

Percy’s anger seemed to dissipate at the sound of her voice. “Okay,” he whispered, brushing back her hair before kissing her quickly. Jason thought he said, “I’ll call you later.” He flashed one last glare at Jason before quickly leaving, slamming the door shut behind him.

Annabeth looked overwhelmed, biting down on her bottom lip. She stared at Jason with tired eyes, murmuring, “Did you know any of that? About Percy’s past? Or Leo’s?”

“No.” Jason’s voice was soft, and he watched as his best friend stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him. His hands were still shaky, but the hug made him feel slightly better. “What do I do now, Annabeth?”

“I don’t know,” was her muffled reply. She pulled her head away from his chest, looking him in the eyes. “I know what Percy said was harsh, but you’re not a bad person.”

“It certainly feels that way,” Jason said bitterly.

“You did a bad thing. Doesn’t make you a bad person.” She sighed heavily. “And you didn’t have control, Jason. That shouldn’t define you as a whole. Percy is just angry. She’s his best friend.”

“I know.” Jason stared down at her fingers that were on his arm. “I don’t think I can do anything to fix this.”

She fell silent. “I don’t know if you can, either,” she admitted. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t try.”

Jason let out a bitter laugh. “Yeah? And how do you propose I do that?”

“That’s up to you.” She patted his arm gently. “I’ve never been in this situation. I also don’t know Piper the way you do. But like I said, she loves you, Jason. She might be a lot more understanding than Percy was.”

“Even if she forgives me, I doubt Percy will.”

“I’ll work on him.” Annabeth gave him an exhausted smile. “Don’t worry about that now, Jason. You look dead on your feet. Go shower and climb into bed.”

“I should go back home.”

“You shouldn’t be alone.”

And even though Jason didn’t want to burden Annabeth with his problems, he knew that she was right. Being with her would distract him. He didn’t argue, nodding stiffly. “My suitcase is in my car,” he sighed. 

“I’ll get it and put it in my room so you can change after your shower. Go.” She nudged him, holding her hand out. He dropped his keys into them and she smiled sadly. “Go.”

He followed her orders, trudging upstairs. His movements were robotic as he stripped and got into the shower, feeling like a sad excuse of a man in a cheesy movie as he stood under the hot stream of water. He usually showered in five minutes or less but he couldn’t bring himself to keep the shower short. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to forget the things Percy had yelled. Maybe it haunted him so much because he knew what Percy said was right. He could try to deny the fact that he was a bad person until he turned red in the face and even that would not suffice. Annabeth was wrong— he was horrible. He broke a perfectly good girl’s heart because he couldn’t face his own demons. What kind of awful person did such a thing?

Before he knew it, he was crying. He managed to keep the noises to a minimum, the water hitting the shower walls covering up his sounds. He couldn’t recall the last time he cried and now with Percy’s voice echoing around his mind and the image of Piper’s face when he broke it off, he couldn’t help it. He cried and squeezed his eyes shut and prayed to whatever deity existed that he could go back in time and prevent this from happening. But he knew well enough now that praying did nothing. Nobody was listening to his pleading; if there was a higher power, they would’ve heard his requests years before when his mom was drinking.

By the time he shut off the water, his eyes ached and he was shaking. He opened the shower curtain and saw that Annabeth had folded clothes for him on the counter. He pulled on the new clothes carefully before opening up the bathroom door.

Annabeth was lying in her bed with a book in her hand. She looked up when Jason came into the bedroom and her eyes widened. She took off her reading glasses and set them down with the book on her bedside table, whispering gently, “Oh, Jason…”

He tried not to cry again, walking over to the bed and crawling beside her. She wrapped her arms around him and he inhaled shakily. She ran her fingers through his damp hair and he mumbled nasally, “I really fucked up, Annabeth. I  _ fucked _ up.”

“She loves you,” Annabeth insisted. “It’s obvious. She loves you and she knows what you’ve been through. She’ll take that into consideration when you apologize.”

“When am I going to do that? She won’t want to see me. And even if she does, I doubt Percy and Leo will let me come within five feet of her without trying to rip my head off.”

“She’s her own person. If she wants to see you, she will.” Annabeth tightened her arms around him. 

“What if she doesn’t forgive me?” His voice broke and he had to close his eyes tightly to prevent the tears from slipping out.

“You learn from this. Even if you guys don’t work out in the end…” Annabeth trailed off. “You loved her the best you could. People make mistakes and sometimes that ends relationships but you tried. You tried and you loved. That’s all you can do.”

Jason knew it was supposed to make him feel better but it doesn’t. He’s not sure how he long he cried for but he was so thankful that Annabeth stayed. He wasn’t sure what would happen if she didn’t. He fell asleep in her arms and allowed himself to escape reality for the time being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song for this chapter is santa fe by autoheart! (credit to emma for the song rec!)
> 
> yeah i'm sorry these chapters are still sad lol but... oh well i like them
> 
> thanks for reading!


	24. We're Ashes and Smoke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy reunion? Y'all thought.

Breakup songs never struck a nerve to Piper. There were the songs that crooned of heartbreak and the others that disguised themselves as happy pop even though the lyrics lamented over a lost love. She listened along and felt the singer’s pain but never experienced it firsthand. Now listening to breakup songs was like a slap in the face. Unfortunately for her, she had too many breakup songs on her Spotify. She couldn’t help it; they played on and on.

If not for Percy and Leo, she would probably be a self-wallowing mess in her room. They both kept a steady eye on her Spotify history and when things got a little too dark, one of them showed up at her house and forced her to hang out. The first few days it was unbearable to leave the comfort of her bed, mostly since the day after she came back home she was so hungover that she had to wear sunglasses inside.

But she was trying to get over it. She really was.

It just wasn’t working.

Her dad arrived back home from North Carolina six days after Piper returned home. When he walked inside, Mellie was right behind him, looking ready for business. Immediately they brought up the trip to Rome and Piper had to control her emotions. She’d cried the day she was dumped and the day after before deciding enough was enough. There was no point in shedding tears over a boy who clearly didn’t want her back.

When Mellie finally stopped speaking, Piper said simply, “You two have nothing to worry about.”

Mellie’s eyebrows pulled together. “Nothing to worry about? Piper, you’re dating Beryl Grace’s son.”

“We’re not dating.”

Her father suddenly looked confused. “What?”

“It was never going to work out, Dad.” _Thanks, Jason for the explanation._ “We had fun and then it was over. We’re not together.”

“Well, regardless of that, everyone thinks you’re dating, so you two are going to have to be careful when you—”

“That won’t be a problem either,” Piper interrupted Mellie. “We’re not really talking anymore.”

She tried to avoid her dad’s widening eyes. “Piper? What’s going on?”

“Nothing, Dad.” The lie hung in the air and a tense silence filled the room. She decided to break it by pushing back the stool, the legs scraping against the floor beneath her. “I’ll be in my room.”

The gazes seemed to burn holes into the back of her head as she made her way up the stairs.

About ten minutes later, Piper could hear her door open slowly. She didn’t bother to look up; she kept her eyes on the ceiling fan above her head. There were still push pins stuck into the corkboard above her headboard from where the picture of her and Jason from the Dodgers game had been hung up. She’d ripped it down when she woke up days before with a hangover. She focused on the pins instead.

Her mattress dipped from beside her. She averted her eyes to see her dad’s eyes focused on the corkboard as well. He must have noticed the missing photo because he looked more concerned than he had in the kitchen. “Pipes, tell me what’s wrong.”

“There’s nothing wrong.” But she couldn’t lie to her dad— the words sounded wrong falling from her mouth, her tone uneasy.

He saw right through her bluff. “There’s _something_ wrong. You and Jason were really close before you left. How do you go from seeing each other every day to not talking at all?”

How could she phrase her breakup? _Well, if you must know, I lost all self-control and seduced him. He became my boyfriend but right when we got back to California, he decided that he couldn’t handle a public relationship and dumped me before we got_ ‘serious’. _But it was already serious to me so I drank until I puked and now here I am, alone._

“We just decided that maybe our friendship wasn’t the best idea,” she replied quietly. It wasn’t a total lie— he had decided to end it and they definitely had not been friends when it ended. “It’s okay.”

“Is it?”

Blinking, she looked up at her dad in surprise. “What?”

“Are you okay, Pipes?” He reached down and soothed down her hair with a gentle brush of his hand. “You seemed to really like him.”

“I’m okay.” Her voice shook at the answer because her father saw right through her lies. “I—I’m okay.”

His face softened and he shook his head. “Piper…” He opened up his arms as she dove into them, burying her face against his chest and feeling the tears hit for the first time in almost a week. She had sworn that she was done crying but there was something different about being defenseless in front of her father. She tried to think of a time where she cried this hard in front of her dad and failed to think of any instance other than when Grandpa Tom died. As hard as this was for her, she knew that this was just as difficult for her dad.

When she ran out of tears, she pressed her cheek to her dad’s chest. Her eyes hurt and she tried to steady her breathing, his fingers still running through her hair. That, she decided, was the last time she was going to cry. No more.

“I thought he really liked me,” she whispered thickly, filling the silence in her room. “I thought that I could be enough for him even with the media.”

“You are more than enough,” her father insisted quietly. “Anyone would be lucky to have you in their life, Pipes.”

“He didn’t feel the same way.”

Her dad sighed heavily and tightened his arms around her. “Jason doesn’t have the same mindset as you, sweetheart. His upbringing wasn’t a good one. Your mom and I worked really hard to keep you as sheltered as possible for as long as we could. Jason? He was a _baby_ and he was in the middle of one of Hollywood’s biggest scandals. I remember the stories of the Graces and I swore I would never let the media tear you apart like that. I failed in that aspect considering what you went through this summer.”

“That wasn’t your fault,” she protested. “I’m seventeen, Dad. You can’t always protect me from the media.”

“I know. But the stories weren’t true and I should’ve stood up for you. I shouldn’t have sat back and watch TMZ create a fake romance story for you. You’re my daughter and the only reason you're in the spotlight is because of me.”

She stayed quiet for a few moments. “But it makes you happy. I can’t control it so I have to accept that this is my life.” She paused again, sighing softly. “And… TMZ’s story did bring me closer to Jason.”

“But I’m guessing they were a reason you two aren’t seeing each other anymore,” he said.

“Yeah.” She took a deep breath. “It was nice while it lasted.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.” She closed her eyes. “It wasn’t perfect. _We_ weren’t perfect. I thought that he liked me as much as I did but obviously he hated the media more than he could ever care about me. But when we forgot about reality… It was good. We were good. I can’t be mad about that.”

Her father smiled gently. “Now I know that you’re okay.”

“I am?” She blinked, sniffling. She certainly didn’t _feel_ okay; her nose was stuffed up and her eyes still ached from crying. She wasn’t sure if she should pull up her Spotify history and show her dad how she wasn’t okay at all.

“You are. You’re hurt but you’ll be okay. You’re being incredibly mature about this, Pipes. You’re focusing on the positives rather than that it’s over now. That’s something that I wish everyone can focus on.” He gazed at her with twinkling eyes. “I think you get that from Grandpa Tom. You certainly didn’t inherit that from me.”

The mention of Grandpa Tom made her smile. “Really?”

“Really. You’re more like him every day.” Her father kissed her forehead. “And if you’re this much like him, you’re going to get past this. You will hurt but you will recover.”

Her chest clenched, pride welling within her for the first time in a long while. She wordlessly hugged her father again, knowing that her attempts to heal were not in vain after all.

_You will hurt but you will recover._

* * *

The rest of August flew by almost as fast as July did. The group of five shrunk back down to four whenever Annabeth decided to tag along, but she was busy prepping her move to Stanford, so most of the time it was the original trio hanging out. Piper was so grateful for her boys and their constant expenditures skateboarding down the streets of Santa Monica and their sleepovers, but it felt as though there was a weight on their shoulders. Just when they got used to being a group of five people, it went back to the old days.

The first time Annabeth joined the group after the breakup, Piper was scared that she would side with Jason. But it was quite the opposite— she wrapped her arms around Piper and whispered, “I’m here if you need to talk.” While the gesture was kind, Piper was pretty sure she wouldn’t go to her ex’s best friend to talk about her relationship issues.

When the last week of August rolled in, Annabeth’s inevitable departure arrived. Stanford was on a quarter system like Santa Cruz, which meant the actual year didn’t start until the end of September, but she was in a special honors program that required her to arrive a month early. While she was excited about it, Percy wasn’t too happy that he had to spend the last month of his summer without his girlfriend. Even though they would be only an hour apart in September, he still lamented over the whole four weeks he would have to go without seeing her.

Somehow he managed to convince Piper to drive up with him the day after Annabeth moved into her dorm. She wasn’t keen about the idea; if Annabeth was moving into her dorm, Jason would be there. She was still trying to recover from the humiliating public breakup, the media finally having died down over their relationship (that no longer existed) and now she had to work on herself.

But Percy was adamant about her coming along. “Jason won’t be there,” he insisted. “That’s what Annabeth said.” When Piper gave him a look, he reached over and grabbed her hand. “We wouldn’t lie about this. We’re not going to force you to see him. I swear that he isn’t coming.”

That’s how Piper ended up leaving her home at six in the morning on Sunday with Percy blasting rock music as they drove up the California coast.

By the time they arrived in Palo Alto, Piper wasn’t exactly sure how to feel about her current situation. She loved Percy and Annabeth made him happy but she wasn’t particularly excited to be the outsider. Even if they tried to incorporate her in their conversations, she was still the odd one out. She wasn’t in their relationship. Usually trivial things like this wouldn’t annoy her but there was still traces of bitterness bottled up inside of her. She was the kind of person to embrace her feelings, except this summer was an exception; she’d been pushed to her limits so she resorted to keeping the anger inside. Maybe she was more like Jason than she thought since he was the expert at mishandling his emotions.

“Thank you so much for coming with me,” Percy told her as he pulled into one of the parking lots close to the dorms, snapping her from her reverie.  “Driving six hours would’ve sucked if I drove alone.”

“Yeah, you owe me.” She tried for a smile, adjusting the parking pass on the dashboard. “I’d still be in bed if not for you.”

“Well, I knew Leo had work, so you were my backup,” Percy shot back teasingly as he got out of the car. As she got out of the car and closed the door, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Plus, I have to take advantage of seeing you before I leave.”

For some reason, the comment didn’t sit well with Piper. She’d accepted months before that Percy was leaving her, separating them after nearly ten years of seeing each other nearly every day. She’d have Leo, but their friendship consisted of the three of them. Her smile felt forced and she realized that him leaving would affect her more than she could have ever imagined since she lost Jason only a few weeks ago and in a few more weeks, she was losing Percy as well.

“You good?” Percy sounded worried. “Pipes?”

“I’m good.” She shook off the bad thoughts and tried for another smile. It must have been more convincing because he smiled back. “Let’s go find Annabeth.”

If Piper wasn’t already in love with UCLA, she would’ve started her Stanford application on the spot. It was a beautiful campus and she could definitely see the appeal. As they walked towards the dorm building that Annabeth lived in, she could picture the blonde making her way across campus. It seemed so fitting.

“She lives on the third floor,” Percy said as they entered one of the tall dorm buildings. They opted to take the stairs since there were a few people pushing carts full of their things into the elevator. It didn’t take them too long to finally reach the third floor, Percy squinting at his phone screen when they made their way into the hallway. “She’s in 313, so that should be… here?” He stopped in front of the door and knocked.

From behind the door Annabeth’s voice called out, “Hold on—”

Percy opened the door before Annabeth could finish talking, practically trembling with excitement, but the joy dissipated when the room was revealed to them.

There were so many things in the room that Piper _could_ have noticed. Half of the room was undecorated, meaning Annabeth’s roommate had not yet arrived, meanwhile Annabeth’s side was perfectly organized. There was a diffuser emitting a lavender smell in the room, the fairy lights glowing with a silver light even though the blinds were open and sunlight was pouring in. Piper could have noticed that Annabeth was already donning a Stanford Honors Program shirt, the red bringing out the blush in her cheeks. Piper could have noticed so many things but her vision tunneled on one thing.

Jason was in Annabeth’s dorm.

Piper felt everything around her melt away. She stared into his sky blue eyes for the first time in almost a month and although she wanted to run away, there was the part of her that felt as though the hole in her heart he had created was closing up at the sight of him. But she didn’t want to be excited to see him. She wanted to be furious. She wanted to demand a real explanation to why he broke up with her. Maybe the fact that a month had passed had caused her anger to dissipate and turn into sadness. And even if she could be angry, her throat closed up and she was certain if she tried to speak, nothing but a croak would come out. Her heart pounded in her chest and she was halfway convinced that this was the beginning of a heart attack. She was so focused on Jason that she almost didn’t notice Percy surging forward, hands curled up into fists.

“You coward—” Percy’s voice was brittle, spoken through gritted teeth. Before he could take another step, Piper reacted, grabbing his arm tightly. She physically held him back, putting her weight back as he strained forward.

“Percy, no,” she whispered and her voice snapped her friend from his rage. Despite the fact that he relaxed, Piper kept her hand around his bicep. She looked at him, ignoring the fact that she could feel Jason staring at her.

“You said _he_ wasn’t going to be here,” Percy said, eyes focusing on Annabeth. “That’s the only reason I brought Piper.”

“He surprised me,” Annabeth answered quickly. “He showed up ten minutes ago. I didn't know he was coming, Percy. I wouldn’t do this.”

“I know you wouldn’t.” Percy shook his head. “I told Piper she wouldn’t have to worry about him.”

“ _He_ is standing right here, you know,” Jason said dryly. Piper hated that she felt warmth pool in her stomach at the sound of his voice.

Percy’s jaw clenched and he leaned forward again. Piper tightened her grasp on his arm. “Was I talking to you, you—”

“ _Percy._ ” Piper kept her voice level, not allowing for her emotions to expose her. “Cut it out. Seriously. I can handle myself.”

“Piper…” Jason’s voice trailed off. The sound of her name made her resolve waver and the weak part of herself contemplated running into his arms.

_No. Stop. You’re stronger than that._

“You don’t get to talk to her,” Percy nearly growled, taking half a step so he was partially standing in front of Piper. “Not after everything. You don’t get that right.”

“No.” Piper nudged Percy out of the way, forcing herself to stare Jason with an expressionless look on her face. “I need to talk to you.”

Jason nodded stiffly. “I think that’s best.”

“Pipes…” Percy’s voice was pleading and he looked worried.

“Stay with Annabeth,” Piper ordered. “I’m going to go outside and talk to Jason.” When Percy didn’t stop looking concerned, she sighed. “I’ll be fine, okay? We’re just talking.”

Percy looked reluctant to let Piper go, sending a deathly glare at Jason. He walked over to Annabeth and as Piper threw one last look over her shoulder as she stepped out of the dorm, she saw him pull Annabeth into a tight hug. The sight of them embracing made Piper’s chest feel tight. Before she could let her face betray her emotions, she turned around and continued down the hallway to the stairwell. If not for Jason’s footsteps behind her, she wouldn’t have known that she was being followed since she didn’t dare turn around.

Once she pushed open the door and stepped outside, she faltered. She didn’t exactly know her way around Stanford’s campus and there were people outside. No matter the direction the conversation would take, she wanted it to be private.

“I walked by a garden on my way here,” Jason mumbled. “We can go there.”

“Okay.” She followed behind him, not keeping stride with him. He must have sensed her hesitation because he stayed half a step ahead of her, his hands shoved into his pockets.

She couldn’t lie to herself; seeing him was exuberating. He looked insultingly handsome too, wearing a lacrosse shirt that fit him like a glove. His hair was a little longer than she remembered and all she wanted to do was run her fingers through the strands. She had to push down the urge to grab his shoulders and plant one on his lips. But then his words at the airport came back to her, filling her thoughts with his accusations of her not being able to understand him and how they were no good for each other.

_Maybe he’s right. Maybe we weren’t good together._

They entered a small garden beyond the dorm buildings. From behind the shrubbery and flowery plants, she could see the frat houses lined in a row. If this was another day, she would stop and lie in the grass and admire the plants but she was with her ex-boyfriend, which felt so foreign yet she felt the most normal she had in almost a month.

Jason sank down on a bench and she saw that his knee was bouncing. He wasn’t making eye contact with her and she noticed the dark circles under his eyes. Usually she was the one sporting stylish eye bags, but now it was him. She hesitated, unsure whether to sit or not. The bench was only so big and she was certain if she sat beside him, their legs would brush and it would be game over. The giddy middle schooler that had been pushed to the back of her brain squealed at the possibility of them touching again, but the rational side of her kept her standing.

“So—”

“I—”

Both of them stopped speaking when their voices drowned the other out. He turned red and the sight of his pink cheeks almost made her walls come crashing down.

_Focus, Piper. This boy dumped you in the middle of the airport._

“You go first,” she told him quietly.

He cleared his throat, still not meeting her eyes. “Piper, I—” His voice broke and she saw that he was struggling to form a sentence. “I’m so sorry, Pipes. I am so, so sorry for hurting you.”

She stayed silent. What could she say? _It’s okay? I forgive you?_ She wasn’t sure if any of this was okay or not. She also wasn’t sure if she could forgive him so easily. He took his anger out on her like he used to, except the consequences were much greater. The radio silence from the past month also went against him. She found it difficult to keep looking at him so her eyes dropped to his feet.

“Piper…” His voice was shakier than it was originally. “I can’t express how much I regret saying those things to you. I was angry and I took it out on you. I shouldn’t have overreacted. I shouldn’t have expected you to understand everything I was going through because you couldn’t control how your life played out. I was dumb and emotional and I’m _sorry._ ”

Her heart felt as though it had jumped into her throat. She loved this boy with every fiber in her being even though she had tried to stop. He had swept her off her feet in stereotypical summer romance movie fashion and whisked her away from reality for a little while. But like every summer romance movie, their daydream bubble popped and real life smacked them in the face. The tips of her fingers felt as though she had thrust them into burning hot coals, which was enough for her— she’d been numb and now this was the awakening of her senses. When she looked up, she saw that he was crying. She had to fight every muscle in her body not to surge forward and hug him. She couldn’t accept his apology after everything.

“I tried the entire summer. For you.” Her voice was hollow, drained of emotion. His blue eyes, which were startingly azure since his eyes were bloodshot, focused on her for the first time. “I did everything I could to show you that Hollywood wasn’t mean to all of us. I wanted you to be happy, Jason. Your parents didn’t doom you. For a while, I thought you finally grasped that.”

“I did. I really—”

“You didn’t,” she interrupted. “Being in a relationship doesn’t mean we have to endure everything together. I thought we were okay. I tried my hardest to be there for you and I thought I did a pretty damn good job at it. I did my best to comfort you and that still wasn’t enough. I thought… I thought I could be enough for you even with the paparazzi and rumors. I thought what we had was worth the lies because _we_ knew the truth.”

“You are!” His voice broke and he stood up. “I just didn’t get the help I needed, Pipes. I thought I could fix my own shit and I couldn’t.” When she didn’t meet his eyes, he stepped closer to her. If she wanted to, she could reach forward and take his hand. “I’m seeing a counselor now to deal with my childhood trauma. I’ve been getting better, Pipes. I’m healing. I just need you now.”

“You didn’t contact me for a month.”

“I knew you wouldn’t answer.”

She clenched her jaw when she felt the prick in her eyes, signaling that she was close to tears. “You didn’t even try.”

“Annabeth told me that I needed to start therapy before I tried to fix us. My counselor said the same thing.”

“You could’ve apologized and left it at that,” she shot back, voice trembling. “You could have apologized and not tried to fix us.”

“I didn’t want to fuck up again, Piper. Don’t you see what happens when I try to handle my own shit?” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “I love you. I’m sorry. I don’t know how many times I need to say it before you believe it.”

 _I love you._ Her entire body stiffened at that phrase. She didn’t expect to hear it. She loved him, but after everything, she was certain that he didn’t love her back. Yet here he was, apologizing to her and admitting that he loved her too. He was risking everything with the fear that she didn’t believe what he was saying.

The thing was, she did believe it. She believed every word he said. She could hear the sincerity in his voice and she knew Jason, although having surprised her when he dumped her, wouldn’t lie about this. He wouldn’t lie about being sorry and he wouldn’t lie about why he didn’t try to talk to her. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she could melt away. If she stayed any longer, she would start to cry.

“I love you, Jason,” she whispered, opening her eyes in time to see him perk up, a look of pure shock on his face as she reciprocated his feelings. “I love you and I forgive you, but I haven’t recovered from this. I didn’t deserve that and I can’t just get back together with you because you’re ready for a relationship.”

“I was ready before. I just… I panicked,” he responded quickly. “I was overcome with emotion, Pipes. I swear, I’ll be better this time.”

“I can’t.” Her voice broke and she winced at the sound of it. “Jason, I can’t be with you. Not now.”

“Pipes—”

She could see her vision blurring due to the tears welling in her eyes. “Goodbye, Jason,” she mumbled, turning around and walking away. She couldn’t help but to think of the similarities between this situation and her leaving him in the middle of LAX. Both times included her, in tears, walking away from the boy she loved.

This time, however, she knew he loved her back. She just couldn’t crawl back to him so easily.

It wasn’t like Piper had never expected to see Jason again. That would be unrealistic. LA was only so big and with their parents in a movie together, they would have run into each other eventually. She just didn’t anticipate it to be so soon.

The worst part about this entire situation is that she loved him. She loved him more than she could express and now she knew that he loved her too, but she had spent the past month trying to recover from the damage he had caused. Jason was getting the help he needed and although she trusted that he was recovering, she knew that she had to heal before pouring her soul into another person.

_If this was some shitty romance movie, now would be a good time for the happy ending to kick in._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song for this chapter is volcano by emily hearn!
> 
> we're so close to the end, guys. it's making me so sad but i am so excited for y'all see how this plays out :')
> 
> also you're welcome for the 'i love you' heh
> 
> thanks for reading!


	25. Tonight You're a Stranger

Going to visit Annabeth at Stanford was a mistake, Jason could confidently say that after the fact.

In hindsight, to him at least, surprising Annabeth in her dorm before she started classes was a cute idea. She would be so excited when he showed up, or so he thought. He didn’t understand her panic, why she told him that he shouldn’t have come.

He didn’t understand it until Piper entered the room.

A month without her was too long. His world seemed to warp, all the colors seemingly brightening, everything around him coming to life. He had been blindfolded and now he could see. Every stupid romance movie was coming to life in front of him and every fiber in his being wanted to rush forward and apologize for his wrongdoings. But her eyes were wide and there was no denying her own panic.

For the past month, he had been convinced that the worst thing in the world was the idea that she hated him. He was wrong; the worst thing in the world was that she loved him back but couldn’t allow herself to be with him. _This_ was the love he had grown up around. The cruel, unfair, brutal love. Love was portrayed in the media as easy as breathing, but the girl who loved him and he loved back couldn’t be with him because he fucked up so bad.

He was trying to be better. He used to only have himself as motivation, but now he had to be better for Piper, too. Even if she never wanted to get back together with him, he wanted to be better because she had supported him every step the way. The least he could do was continue healing.

Now with Annabeth gone, Jason felt more alone than ever. The friends he had made over the summer were gone since he had met them through Piper and there was no way they would side with him after what he did to her. Fortunately Hazel, who was oblivious to the entire situation, was more than happy to spend time with him. Hazel was great, she really was, but she wasn’t Piper, and the aching part of Jason wished that it was.

By the time Jason returned home from his Stanford visit, he had a little over a week before his school started. Yet he had not started packing. He was the type of guy to start packing weeks in advance, but the thought of him opening his suitcase was nauseating. He felt as though if he were to leave, nothing would be resolved. He would be forced two hours away from Piper. In a way, this felt like he was running from his problems. But for the first time in his entire life, he didn’t want to run from them. He wanted to face them head-on as he should have done in the first place.

One night he was particularly restless, tossing and turning. He knew he’d never be able to sleep, so he forced himself out of bed. He made his way down the stairs to grab something to eat, not noticing how the kitchen light was on as he headed for the fridge.

“Up packing?”

At the sound of his father’s voice, Jason jumped. He froze with his hand wrapped around the handle of the fridge. He turned around slowly, meeting his dad’s cool blue eyes.

“Uh, no,” Jason answered truthfully.

His dad raised his eyebrows and stopped shuffling with his paperwork. “School starts up again next Monday. You haven’t even started packing.”

“I know.”

“Have you started your college applications?”

“No.” Jason winced slightly. He had opened up the UC application the previous week but had no motivation to actually start it. “I have until the end of November, so I’m fine.”

“Jason, your work ethic has been lacking lately,” his dad chastised. “Staying up late, not packing, and not starting your applications. Penn is a competitive school, this is not going to fly.”

Penn. Of course. His dad wasn’t interested in him at all— he only wanted to make sure Jason was applying to Penn to make him look good.

When Jason didn’t answer, his dad continued to speak. “Ever since your trip, you’ve been doing nothing except going to counseling and lounging around. Your first semester will test you if you get comfortable, Jason. The least you can do is start packing for school.”

“I—”

“If you can’t handle life now, what are you going to do when you get to business school? I couldn’t afford to slack off and look at me now. You have an empire to take over, son. My hard work isn’t going to be in vain just because you can’t—”

“I don’t want to go back to that school, Dad.” The words slipped out before Jason could stop them.

“What?” His father’s voice was low, dangerous, almost like the ominous sound of a peal of thunder before the rain starting falling.

Too late to turn back now. Jason took a collected breath and maintained eye contact. “I haven’t started packing because I don’t want to go back, Dad.”

“And why not?” There was no hiding the disbelief and annoyance in his father’s tone.

Jason gritted his teeth. The years of neglect and being ignored were hitting him again, but this time he felt fired up. He felt as if he could stand up for himself to his dad. After all, this man was arguably the one to blame for everything that had gone wrong in his life. He certainly was the root of the issue that caused the breakup.

“I never wanted to go to that school,” Jason answered. “You made the decision to send me there because you didn’t want to deal with me while Mom was drunk. You didn’t want to take responsibility and be a parent so you sent me away. You can’t force me to go back because I’m eighteen and Mom is sober. If I want to stay, I should get to stay.”

His dad’s jaw clenched at his words. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out. He pinched the bridge of his nose and Jason felt his confidence wavering.

“I also don’t want to go to business school.” Jason already crushed his father’s hopes and dreams, so he didn’t see a reason not to just spill the entire truth now that he’s at it. “I never have. I never will. I don’t want to take over your business. I know that’s what you want me to do but I can’t lie about it anymore.”

“Jason, this business is my empire. It’s my everything. What am I supposed to do if I don’t have a child to hand it down to?”

“I _know_ that the company is your everything!” Jason exclaimed. “It always has been. It means more to you than me, than Thalia, than Mom. That’s why I never told you the truth. But I can’t lie anymore.”

“Jason—”

“You’ve controlled my life for far too long.” Jason’s voice started to tremble and he had to inhale in order to keep it steady. “You took away my childhood. You sent me away when I needed someone. So many things you’ve done has affected me negatively. I felt more like myself than I ever have this summer and then your interview made me snap. I lost Piper because of what you’ve done to me, Dad.”

“My interview didn’t make you two break up,” his dad exclaimed, his voice rising in volume. “You did that yourself.”

“Your actions have a greater influence than you think. I hurt the girl I love because I never learned how to deal with the issues you inflicted on me.”

“You can’t take responsibility for your actions, clearly.”

“I have! I messed up and I’ve admitted it to myself, to Annabeth, and to Piper! I’ve accepted the fact that I did mess up, yes, but so do you.”

“I haven’t done—”

“Boys?”

At the sound of his mother’s voice, Jason’s head turned. She stood at the bottom of the staircase, blinking at her husband and son worriedly.

Jason’s dad's eyes flashed and he shook his head before leaving the kitchen. He headed up the stairs wordlessly and the sound of the bedroom door slamming made Jason wince.

“Honey? What’s going on? I heard arguing.”

“It’s nothing, Mom.” Jason sunk down into one of the stools at the kitchen island and tried to control the shaking of his hands.

“It certainly didn’t sound like nothing.”

He grappled with the option of sharing what he felt or hiding it. His therapist encouraged him to open up to his mom— sure, lots of his anger stemmed from his mom’s addiction, but he didn’t blame her as much as he blamed his dad. He knew that alcoholism is an uncontrollable disease and she didn’t choose to become dependent on drinking. However, his dad consciously made all the decisions that dictated Jason’s entire life, which ultimately led to the breakup at LAX.

Maybe his therapist was right. He couldn’t continue to shut his mom out when she couldn’t control what happened to her.

“I told Dad I didn’t want to go back to boarding school and I don’t want to go to business school.”

“He must’ve taken it well,” his mother commented dryly as she sat on the stool beside him. “It’s about time you stood up for yourself, sweetheart.”

“Yeah, well, it went as expected.”

“I heard you mention Piper. I haven’t heard about her in a while.”

“I messed up.” Jason squeezed his eyes shut. “And I tried to fix my mistakes but she’s too good for me and she knows it. I’m trying. I just… I can’t live a life where I have no say in anything anymore. I have to fix something, so standing up to Dad is the first step, I guess.”

She stayed quiet for several moments. Her eyebrows pulled together and she sighed. “Brave of you.”

There was a double meaning behind her words, Jason could sense this. He reached forward and took his mother’s hand, waiting until she looked up at him before saying, “Mom, you need to do the same.”

“I do?”

“Come on. What has he done for our family? He didn’t help Thalia and sent her away. He sent me to boarding school and has made me gone for seven years even though I didn’t want to.”

“I was a danger to you two. It’s all my fault.”

“Is that what he’s told you? That an uncontrollable disease is your fault?”

Her eyes welled with tears and she bit down on her bottom lip.

“He didn’t support you, Mom. He may lie to the press and say that he saved his wife, but we both know that’s a lie. _You_ saved yourself. You went to rehab because _you_ wanted to get better, not him. Dad would’ve let you stay drunk until your liver failed. If anything, the person who’s helped you the most have been Athena. All he’s done is tear this family apart and cheated.”

“None of it would have happened if I wasn’t an alcoholic.”

“You don’t know that. Him being a terrible husband and father shouldn’t depend on your health.”

She wiped a tear away from her cheek and looked at Jason. “You don’t blame me?”

Jason knew the truth now. “I don’t. I did before, but now I know better.” She looked ready to start crying so he quickly said, “You saved yourself, Mom. You don’t need him.”

“I don’t know how to live without him.”

“But you can do it. We both can.”

Wordlessly, she wrapped her arms around Jason and he could feel the tears on her face against his skin. He hugged her back and for the first time in a long time, he felt like he belonged. He felt like his mom was finally becoming the parent he so desperately needed.

“Thank you, Jason,” she murmured. “And if I can do that, you can improve your life. And I know where to start.”

He pulled away from the embrace, furrowing his eyebrows. “Really?”

“Really.”

“How do that I do that?”

“For starters, you’re not going back to that boarding school,” she said firmly. “You never had a chance at being home while at school, and I want you to have that for your senior year.”

His heart beat a little faster than it usually did. “You won’t make me go back?”

“You haven’t been a child in a long time, Jason.” She kept a hand on his shoulder and smiled softly. “I saw it in you every time you came home to visit. You never felt safe here. You depended on Thalia when you should have depended on me, and I am so sorry for that. This is the least I can do.” She kissed Jason’s cheek and sighed. “Tomorrow we’ll do research on some local schools. Private, preferably, since you’ve had enough attention this summer.”

“No.” Jason shook his head and his head spun as his mind flashed to an earlier conversation weeks before. “We don’t need to research schools.”

His mom arched an eyebrow. “And why’s that?”

“Because I already know what school I want to go to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter's song is silhouette by aquilo!
> 
> 2 more chapters till this is done and over with, which is insane but i am so excited to see how you guys handle how it ends. thanks for sticking with me, pals


	26. Can You Love Me Most?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And like all summer stories, summer has to end.

The final days of summer were always bittersweet, at least they were for Piper. There are the last sleepovers, the school supply shopping, and the last minute school uniform fittings. She tried to savor every last bit of the long, sunny days, skateboarding down the streets of Santa Monica with her two best friends by her side. In a matter of three weeks, Percy would be in Santa Cruz and nothing would ever be the same.

But things were already different. Though the trio didn’t explicitly talk about how the summer changed them, they all knew the truth. Their dynamic was the same, but there was a strange emptiness hanging between them with the disappearance of the blondes that had joined them for several weeks. And although Annabeth was still frequently mentioned, the other one was never discussed. It didn’t hurt Piper so much to think about him as August ended, but none of them wanted to test her healing heart.

The last night before school started was weird. Tomorrow would be Piper and Leo’s last ever first day at their boarding school. She was excited to finish high school and go onto bigger things, yet there was the nostalgia that every teenager felt as they acknowledged the beginning of the end.

Her uniform hung from a hanger and she stared at it for a couple of minutes. She’d been well-known in the media for most of her life, but this summer her exposure had exceeded anything she’d ever expected. Going back to her small private school felt weird now. Some of her peers had always stared when she walked by and she was fully prepared for even more staring tomorrow. For all they knew, she was still dating Beryl Grace’s son.

For a moment, she considered calling Jason. She had seen him nearly two weeks ago at Stanford and her chest still ached when she thought about it. She loved that boy, she really did, but he was in Santa Barbara at his fancy boarding school and she was in Malibu.

He had broken her heart and she was still trying to heal but god, did she still love him. He was the only person she wanted to talk to right now.

What would she even say if she were to call him? The last time she saw him, she told him she loved him but couldn’t be with him. It was an awful predicament they were in, loving each other yet not being together. He needed to heal and now she did too.

Maybe this was like some coming of age movie. Maybe this romance was only made to last the summer. And this was the last night of break. It was over.

She just didn’t want this to be the end.

It took her a long time to fall asleep. She kept tossing and turning, trying to erase the image of his blue eyes from her mind. If Jason’s face was going to plague her mind the next day, she would be miserable. People were bound to ask about him and she couldn’t bring herself to tell her classmates that their relationship had already ended. It felt like rubbing salt into an open wound. It fed into the stereotype of Hollywood couples; they were never meant to last. Maybe it was true. Her mother and father didn’t last. So many self-proclaimed ‘power couples’ broke up. So many couples were ripped apart by the toxic foundation that stardom had gained its relevance from. Although she didn’t mind being famous by association, she didn’t want that part of the California dream. She wanted love that could last the drama a Hollywood life entailed. She wanted Jason to be the one. Except he was off at his fancy boarding school and she was in bed, unable to sleep with his face burned into her mind.

The next morning, she was in a daze as she got ready for school. She braided back her hair and got into the red polo and her despised skirt. As always, she skirted along the lines of the private school’s strict dress code by wearing her combat boots— they said black shoes, so administration technically couldn’t write her up. Plus, her dad donated more than enough money to the school, so even if they wanted to, they would never give her detention. She was a good kid, made the grades and played sports and was nice to her teachers. Combat boots weren’t the worst thing in the world.

Her dad fell back into the school routine better than she did. He had a bagel and her thermos with coffee ready as she bounded down the stairs, bag slung over her shoulder. He kissed her cheek and asked lightly, “Have everything?”

“Yeah.”

“Coming home straight after school?”

“Yeah.”

“When are volleyball tryouts?”

“They start Wednesday.” She took a sip of her coffee and grabbed her keys on the hook by the door. “I’ll see you this afternoon!”

“Have a good day, I love you!”

“Love you too!”

Although she had taken her time getting ready, she was still ahead of schedule. She hopped into her car and set out for campus, which was nearly forty-five minutes away. She shuffled her old alternative music, moving her head along to the beat. Her mind, which had previously been swirling with apprehensions about keeping a poker face, was wiped clean as she immersed herself in her music. She didn’t have time to worry. She was Piper McLean, daughter of Tristan McLean; if she couldn’t act, who could?

_Jason could._

She pushed that thought out of her mind as soon as it made her doubt herself. She cranked up the music a little louder so it was close to impossible to think. The less thinking, the better.

The parking lot was already busy as she pulled in. She parked next to the familiar older truck and as soon as she put her car into park, Leo hopped from the truck, grinning from ear to ear. He had his backpack slung over his shoulders and looked far too excited to be back at school.

“Your shirt isn’t tucked in,” she said as she climbed from her car.

“Huh? Oh.” Leo rolled his eyes and hastily tucked his shirt into his khakis, revealing his black belt. “Whatever. I can’t wait for Casual Friday.”

“That’s at the end of the month.”

“I can be excited for that. It gives me a will to live.”

Eyes were already burning craters into the back of Piper’s head. She knew it and by the way Leo’s eyebrows pulled together, she knew he saw the stares. “Wanna head inside? I need to drop some shit off at my locker.”

“What shit? We haven’t even gotten our textbooks yet.”

“I have notebooks I don’t need until after lunch.” Leo’s eyes flickered between Piper and the people staring behind her. “Come on.”

She secured her bag on her shoulder before following Leo from the parking lot into the front doors of the main building. The hallway was full of people socializing at their lockers. The buzz of their conversations weirdly calmed her nerves. The two of them maneuvered their way through the crowd as they headed toward the wing where their lockers were.

The stares only got worse the closer she got to her locker.

Once they arrived at their lockers, Piper easily unlocked it, the combination one consistent thing she’d had for the past three years here. She drank the rest of her coffee and put the empty thermos on the top shelf of her locker.

To her left, a boy, probably a freshman due to his size and the fact she didn’t recognize him, unlocked the locker that had previously belonged to Percy. Her chest tightened and it oddly made her emotional to see a new kid claim her best friend’s old locker.

As if reading her mind, Leo said quietly, “It’s so weird without Percy.”

It may have only been a few minutes of them being on campus, but Percy’s absence was already painfully noticeable. Percy was probably still asleep, or talking on the phone to Annabeth, or watching Estelle, or maybe talking to his roommate, some guy named Grover who Percy had yet to meet but already loved. This was for the best, going off to college and finding himself, but it still sucked.

“I know.” She sighed and shut her locker. “But at least we have until the end of the month with him here. I’m not going to cry until then because I know when he leaves, I’ll cry for weeks.”

“You and me both.” Leo fiddled with something in his locker. “What’s your first period again?”

“AP biology.” Piper rolled her eyes. “I haven’t taken bio since freshman year.”

“It’s just bio. Cells. That’s all that’s to that class. At least you’re not taking chem with me. Honors was bad enough, I’m going to die in AP.” Leo sighed. “We have third together, right? Computer science?”

“Yep. I’m already prepared to fail that class.”

“ _Please._ I’m already fully prepared to help you cheat your way through.”

“You’re a godsend.” Piper rested her head against her locker. “And calc.”

“I’m ready.”

“Perfect.” She could see the boy who had taken Percy’s locker do a double take. She half expected him to ask her who she was, but he just stared at her until he walked away. “God, should I just wear a name tag or something?”

“Ignore them. We’ve handled this before.”

“Except it’s going to be so much worse.”

“Still.” Leo frowned apologetically at her. He must have known the stares were bugging her more than usual because he changed the subject. “Did you hear that Will Solace and Nico di Angelo are together?”

“You’re joking! Finally! We’ve been betting on this since our sophomore year.”

“Saw them holding hands before you showed up. I wanted to take a picture but I’m not on that level of stalker mode yet.” Leo shut his locker and they walked away from their lockers, opting to stand in front of the windows so they weren’t blocking the way. “Solace looked so smug.”

“I bet. They’ve been flirting for ages now. I’m happy for them.” And she was happy for them. She just wished she was in their situation.

Before she could mull over her breakup, someone yelled, “Piper!” from down the hallway.

Piper smiled. “Lacy!”

The junior very nearly catapulted herself into Piper’s arms. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a high ponytail and she smelled like strawberries. She pulled away and asked brightly, “Notice anything different?”

“You got your braces off!”

“I know!” Lacy flashed her pearly whites and looked back at her brother. “Told you she’d notice.”

Mitchell rolled his eyes. “I didn’t say she _wouldn’t._ I just said people aren’t going to notice right off the bat if you’re not talking.” He smiled and nodded. “Hey, Piper.”

“How was your summer?” Piper asked as she gave Mitchell a hug.

“Not horrible, surprisingly. Montana wasn’t as awful as we thought.” Piper knew that the two of them spent the summers with their dad, who recently moved up to Montana. “Really pretty.”

“Nothing fun to do, though,” Lacy complained. “The nearest mall was an hour away.”

“That’s… shitty,” Leo offered.

Lacy nodded. “Shitty,” she agreed.

“Lace, nobody cares about your sob story about the malls,” Mitchell chided. He looked back to Piper and Leo. “Did you guys start working on your college apps?”

“Nah,” Leo said easily. “I’ve got time.”

“He’s going to start them the night they’re due and call me crying. Calling it now,” Piper threw out, which made Mitchell laugh. “I started it, but I’m stumped on the essay portion.”

“You and me both.” Mitchell wearily shook his head. “But I’m not too worried about it. You already know Brunner’s gonna help.”

“I keep forget Mr. Brunner’s teaching lit,” Piper said excitedly. “English was my favorite class freshman year because of him. He made _The Odyssey_ bearable.”

“He passed me, so I will forever be thankful for that man.” Leo nodded with a grin.

“Did you hear Mr. D finally got the boot?” Lacy exclaimed.

“You’re joking!” Piper and Leo gasped in sync.

Mitchell smiled at the mention of the principal. “The new principal is Dr. Lupa or something along that name. I heard she’s great. I mean, anything beats Mr. D. I never thought we’d see the day he’d go. What a great senior gift.”

“Maybe this day won’t be too terrible,” Piper conceded.

Lacy looked like she was suppressing a smile. “I should’ve figured you weren’t too excited to be back considering how great your summer looked.”

_Here it goes._

“Yeah,” Piper replied, forcing a smile. “Not too thrilled to be here.”

Mitchell nudged his little sister. “Way to be discrete. Tabloids lie all the time, you know.”

“His dad confirmed their relationship to _People._ Shut up.” Lacy turned back to Piper with an eager smile. “Jason’s gorgeous, Piper. He’s such a catch! All your paparazzi shots were precious. Is he _that_ pretty in real life?”

Leo’s eyebrows pulled together and Piper found it difficult to keep the fake smile. “I never reveal my secrets,” she said lightly. Lacy looked ready to explode with excitement, so Piper quickly changed the subject. “I feel like I’ve been living under a rock this entire summer. I didn’t even know Mr. D was fired. Is there any more drama I should be aware of before I go to first period?”

Lacy launched into some story about a wild party the Stoll brothers held over the summer, which resulted in alcohol poisoning and the cops being called. Piper was half-listening, nodding along and gasping at all the dramatic bits.

Out of nowhere, Leo’s elbowed her ribcage and she jumped. “What the fuck, Leo?” she demanded.

“Piper—”

“God, honestly, that was so unnecessary, you could’ve just—”

“ _Piper._ ” Leo’s voice was deadly serious, his eyes focused on something at the end of the hallway.

“What are you looking at? If it’s Caly, I’m going to punch you in the—” Piper’s eyes followed Leo’s and her throat closed up when she saw those damn blue eyes.

“What’s going on?” Lacy followed Piper’s gaze and her jaw dropped. “Oh.”

 _Oh_ was right.

Jason Grace was standing at the end of the hallway, dressed in the same red polo and khakis that every other boy was donned in. He had a backpack slung over his shoulder, a piece of paper clenched in his fist, which Piper assumed was his class schedule. Except he wasn’t looking at his class schedule— he was looking at her. All eyes in the hallway were on him, except for Leo’s, who were on her.

“I want to meet him,” Lacy said instantly, obviously not feeling the tension filling the hallway.

“Later.” Leo’s cheerfulness was forced. “Hey, Piper and I will catch up, alright? We need to talk to Jason.”

Lacy looked like she wanted to protest, but Mitchell seemed to sense that something was wrong. “Yeah, of course. Come on, Lace.” Before she could complain, he was pulling her away.

Jason walked down the hallway and the students went back to their conversations, though their staring didn’t stop. Piper’s entire body felt hot and she wondered how she wasn’t catching on fire.

When Jason was close enough, Leo hissed out, “What the fuck? If I would’ve known you were coming, I would’ve—”

“Leo.” Piper’s voice sounded detached. It didn’t sound like her own. “Can you give us some privacy?”

Leo’s eyes flashed with anger. “He shows up to _our_ school unannounced. We’re in the middle of a fucking hallway. There is no—”

“Please, Leo?”

“Fine.” Leo squeezed Piper’s shoulder, still evidently angry yet more worried than anything. “I’ll see you in third.” Sending Jason one last warning glare, he turned around and walked away.

Jason swallowed and flashed Piper a weak smile. “He’s still pissed at me, huh?”

“What are you doing here, Jason?” she asked quietly. She tried keeping her face neutral, fully aware that the entire hallway was staring at them because for all they knew, they were dating. “You should be in Santa Barbara.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I didn’t want to go back to that school since Annabeth’s gone.”

“Then why come here?”

“I…” He sighed and looked helplessly at her. “I needed a familiar face. I couldn’t go to some other school with strangers.”

“Do you realize how much attention we’re going to attract?”

“I realize it now,” he said dryly. “I didn’t come here to start any drama.”

“They all think we’re _dating_ ,” she whispered under her breath. “The stares aren’t going to stop.”

“I know that.”

“Then why did you come? You hate being in the spotlight.”

The first bell blared, echoing throughout the hallway. Students started in the direction of their first period classes, staring intently at Piper and Jason as they passed by. But in that moment, she didn’t even care. She could only focus on Jason.

“I stood up to my dad. I wanted to take control of my own life for the first time. I’m fixing things, Pipes. I wanted this to be one of the first things I repaired.”

“You could’ve called instead of, I don’t know, transferring schools.”

“I know.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I just thought this would show you how much I’m trying.”

“It shows that you’re an idiot, actually.”

He smiled weakly. “Hey, at least that’s one trait you recognize from before. I might be going for a change, but I’m still stupid.”

This situation was the opposite of humorous, but the joke almost made her smile. His humor was just one thing she missed about him. She bit her lip to curb the smile and pinched the bridge of her nose, shutting her eyes momentarily. “You didn’t have to come. I know that coming here wasn’t your first choice.”

“I wanted to.” He stepped closer to her. She smelled his cologne and the scent made her knees weak. “I will show up here every day and apologize all over again.”

“Jason—”

“I love you,” he said simply. “I love you and I know you love me, too. I’m not going to try to convince you to take me back because we both know I don’t deserve it. I’ve never deserved your company or anything, but,” his voice faltered for a moment, “I know I need you in my life. You made me feel the most like me in years, Pipes. I’d understand if you didn’t want to be with me, but I want to be your friend.” He held out his hand. “Friends?”

Her mind flashed back to the first time he came to her house after the dating rumor came out. He had shaken her hand and asked if they were friends. The thought of them, while messy in the beginning, before the breakup made her resolve waver.

She wanted to shake his hand. She also wanted to kiss him.

Instead, she stepped back. “We’re going to be late to first period.”

“Piper—”

“Hey.” She forced a smile. “I’m not going to ignore you. Meet me after school and we’ll talk, alright?”

That promise was probably better than anything he could have hoped for. He nodded and smiled back, although it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Alright.”

She turned around and walked away quickly. As she sat down right as the bell rang, her heart rate was much higher than it should have been and it wasn’t because she had nearly sprinted to class.

As the teacher rattled off information about the syllabus, Piper closed her eyes and once again imagined those damn blue eyes.

* * *

Paying attention in class was always something Piper dealt with. She was a naturally good student, so oftentimes her mind wandered as she doodled in the margins of her notebooks. The first week was always especially unbearable since it was filled with mindless syllabuses and classroom rules and awkward icebreakers and it was gross. If she had to take a shot for every time she had to stand, give her name, and one interesting fact about herself, she’d be drunk way before lunch.

Except Jason was in her second period AP government class, which made it so much harder to contently doodle in her notebook when her ex sat directly to her left.

What made matters worse was that Drew Tanaka was in government too. She was a bit problematic because she was a huge fan of gossip, and since Piper was somewhat famous, Drew loved to take tabloid stories and run with it. Except this story was practically written for her— a summer romance led to Jason transferring to their school.

As Piper went to sit down after doing the first day of class introduction, Drew called out from behind her, “Didn’t you go to Rome in July, Piper?”

“Yeah.” Piper’s hands curled into fists in her lap.

“Fun!” Drew’s voice dripped with anticipation as Jason stood up to do his own introduction. Once Jason finished, she called out again, “And Jason, didn’t _you_ also go to Rome?”

Jason’s eyebrows pulled together. “That’s right.”

“So romantic!” Drew crooned. “A love story for the ages!”

The class giggled at Drew’s antics. Piper had to bite back a snarky comment as heat flared through her entire body.

Fortunately for her, she didn’t see Jason as she rushed to the parking lot for lunch. She saw the black Jeep Wrangler that she’d ridden in more times than she could count and her heart clenched again. She very nearly collapsed into the passenger seat of Leo’s truck, opening the container with her lunch in it.

“Guess who’s my chem lab partner,” Leo growled. “Just guess.”

“I’m assuming it’s—”

“Jason!” Leo inhaled sharply and bit into his sandwich angrily. “God, I want to punch him in the face.”

“Please don’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because regardless of what he did, I still love him.”

“I don’t understand how—”

“He made me _happy_.” Piper’s voice shook and she squeezed her eyes shut. “And ever since we broke up, I’ve felt miserable. At first, I thought it was because he hurt me so badly, but now I know it’s because I don’t want to be without him.”

“That’s ridiculous. You only met him in June.”

“He’s the only person who really gets it, Leo.” She looked at her best friend tiredly. “He understands how frustrating it is to be Tristan McLean’s daughter. He suffered from his mom’s fame and still pushed aside his issues to be there for me.”

“You were there for him a lot more,” Leo argued. “Isn’t a guy supposed to protect the girl?”

“That’s just toxic masculinity. So gross, Leo. I don’t have to be a damsel in distress all the fucking time. People in a relationship can save each other.”

“So what, he _saved_ you or something? He made you miserable when you first met and he made you miserable when he dumped you.”

“I felt…” She struggled to find words that made sense. Seeing Jason at her school, a place he struggled to even consider attending just a month beforehand, made her thoughts all fuzzy. He made it so hard to think. She was torn between feeling how people expected her to feel and how she really felt. Her mind flashed to the things he had told her earlier that day and the words came to her naturally. “He made me feel the most like me I’ve felt in a long time, Leo. It was like he was placed into my life for a reason.”

Leo still looked worried. “That sounds like a bunch of Hollywood bullshit to me.”

“Trust me, I know.” She grimaced. “But I was so happy with him. He made me feel… _normal._ Even though the paparazzi was so bad, I felt like I was just me. He judged me for who my dad is and then saw who I really am and loved me for it. Most people hear the name and love me because they want something from me. With him, it was the opposite. I made him like me for _me,_ not for my dad.”

For a long time, Leo sat quietly. His half-eaten sandwich was still in his hands and his brown eyes met hers. He didn’t look so angry anymore; he looked tired. “I wish Percy was here. I’m not good at this whole feeling thing.”

Piper felt herself smile. “He wasn’t the greatest at it, either. Better get used to it since he’s leaving us.”

“Cut me some slack.” Leo sighed and tilted his head at her. “What are you feeling?”

“Conflicted.”

“Over?”

“I feel like I should hate him, you know? He dumped me in LAX because he couldn’t deal with his trauma. I feel like I should never forgive him, but I already have.”

“But…?”

“I love him.” Her heart fluttered at just the thought of Jason. “I love him more than I’ve ever loved anyone before.”

“Even Reyna?”

She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t love Reyna. That was just a crush.”

“You crushed hard.”

“Shut up.” Piper sighed. “I really love him and he’s here. He stood up to his dad, Leo, and I never thought he’d do that. I pushed him to do that and we broke it because of it. But now he’s taking his life into his own hands and he chose to come to this school for _me._ And he said that even though he loves me, he just needs me in his life regardless of our relationship status. He asked if we could be friends.”

“Do you want to be his friend?”

“I don’t think I can be.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because every time I see him, I want to kiss his stupid face.”

Leo set his sandwich down on the plastic bag in his lap before reaching over and taking Piper’s hand. “Does he really make you happy, Piper?”

“Yes.” She looked miserably at Leo. “He does. And I don’t know what to do.”

“You do.” He smiled softly. “You know what to do and you want to do it but you’re scared.”

Her heart rate picked up fractionally. “I’m not scared.”

“Yes, you are. You’re scared that the world is going to force you away from him again, or he’s going to snap. But we’re young, Pipes. We’re seventeen. Shit happens. We fall in love and then it doesn’t work out and we get our hearts broken. I might not fully trust the guy, and I know Percy doesn’t either, but both of us just want you to be happy. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t know how happy you were this summer. Before the breakup, he was good for you. He brought out something in you that I’d never seen before. And even though what he did was fucked up, I do believe that people deserve second chances.”

Piper’s eyes welled with tears, but they weren’t tears of sadness. She felt relief because she had a feeling what Leo was alluding to. “You really think that?”

“I do.” Leo squeezed her fingers. “We’re stupid teenagers. Everyone messes up. He’s trying to improve for you. He made a bad choice but that doesn’t make him a bad person.”

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Leo. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I needed to hear that.”

“I love you. You’re my best friend. You deserve to be happy.” He hugged her back tightly. “Go be happy, Piper.”

* * *

Piper usually bolted for her car when the final bell rang. But today, she took her sweet time after class. She spoke to Mr. Brunner for several minutes, discussing the summer reading and her college applications. She told her favorite teacher that she wanted to attend UCLA, making him the second person she’d confided to about her future goals, and he promised he’d help her write her UC essays. That gave her a little confidence boost, a skip in her nervous step as she emptied her essentials from her locker before making her way to the parking lot.

The parking lot was almost empty at this point. Leo’s truck was gone. Rather than go to her car, she walked past it and approached the Jeep a few rows away.

Jason was leaning against his car. When he saw her coming, he stood up straight, his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously as she approached.

“Listen,” he said as she got within earshot, “I think I crossed a line today. Transferring to your school is a total invasion of your privacy. But I couldn’t handle starting over, Pipes. Shit is going down at home and I couldn’t go back to that boarding school, so I thought I’d come here and clean up my mess, but I can see now that I overstepped, and I’m so—”

Her legs carried herself closer to him, closing the distance between them. She threw her arms around him, standing on her tiptoes as she pressed her lips against his. His voice trailed off as their lips touched and for a moment, he was frozen. But when he realized that they were kissing, his hands grabbed her hips and pulled her closer. He was _everywhere,_ his lips moving against hers in perfect sync, his fingers sending warmth throughout her entire body. They were kissing in plain view of any classmate who might still be on campus, but she didn’t care.

She didn’t think anything would beat their first kiss. She was wrong; this kiss was so much better than anything her imagination could have conjured.

When they broke apart, her breathing was ragged. His face was red, a beautiful crimson flooding his cheeks all the way to the tips of his ears. He looked dumbfounded, a surprised smile tugging on his lips.

“Shut up,” she said softly, though she was certain even if he wanted to continue speaking, he wouldn’t be able to. “You make me happier than anything in the world. You bring out the best in me and I want you in my life. I want _you._ I don’t want to be your friend. I want to be so much more than that.”

“Really?” he whispered.

“Really.”

He cupped her cheek in his hand and kissed her again. She felt sparks of electricity run through her veins, sparking from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.

“I don’t deserve you,” he whispered as he pulled away, keeping his forehead pressed against hers. “I’m so sorry.”

“You don’t have to say that anymore,” she assured him.

“But I do.”

“We all fuck up sometimes. Just…” She put a hand on his chest. “We need to move on from that.”

“So… we go back to normal?”

“No.”

He blinked in surprise. “No?”

“We start over,” she said firmly. “You’re healing and I changed, Jason. We aren’t the same people we were at the beginning of the summer. We can’t go into this relationship with the same mindset as we did before. We start over. Fresh. Today.” She inhaled and smiled. “Will you be my boyfriend?”

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. “Yes,” he whispered. “I’d like that a lot.”

“Good.” She contently stood with his lips pressed to her forehead, so happy that the world could erupt into chaos around her and she wouldn’t even notice. “I’m glad.”

He pulled away and looked at her, his brilliant blue eyes piercing straight into her soul. “I know we said we’re starting over, that this is a new thing, but I love you, Piper McLean.”

She smiled so widely that it hurt her cheeks. “And I love you, Jason Grace.”

The first time they said they loved each other, Piper walked away from Jason. But she knew she was never going to walk away from him. Not now, not ever. Never again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song for this chapter is someone to stay by vancouver sleep clinic!
> 
> this chapter is my absolute favorite of the whole fic, i hope you guys enjoyed it as much as i did!
> 
> one more chapter till this story is done, i cannot believe it, just thank you guys so much <3 i hope this chapter made the last several ones worth it :')


	27. Made In Hollywood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cue time jump.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is it pals! i hope you enjoy!

_9 months later..._

Jason stood in the mirror, carefully making sure his bowtie was straight. He smoothed out his suit, fiddling with the cufflinks. Seriously, he’d never given cufflinks a second thought until now. His hair was slicked back with some weird smelling product he’d never heard of— the stylist had told him what it was, but he couldn’t recall what it was exactly. The suit was the fanciest thing he’d ever worn, designed by some guy with a name he couldn’t pronounce.

“Are you ready, Jason?” his mom’s voice called from the other room. “The car is almost here.”

“Yeah.” He studied his appearance in the mirror once more. He usually didn’t care so much about his appearance, but today was different. He sighed and tried to swallow back his jittery nerves.

“Oh, Jason, you look so handsome.”

At the sound of his mom’s voice, he turned around and smiled at the sight of her. Her blonde hair was tied back up in an extravagant updo, curly strands framing each side of her face. She had a full face of makeup on, her lips a soft pink. She wore a flowy white dress, a diamond necklace around her neck.

“You look great, Mom,” Jason said, accepting her hug as she approached him. “How are you feeling?”

“Oh, you know.” She waved off his question but he noticed how she gripped her little white clutch tighter. “It’s my first red carpet appearance in over a decade. I’m feeling fantastic.”

“Beryl, your car is here,” his mom’s bodyguard called.

Jason offered his mom his arm for her to take. “Ready?”

She squared her shoulders and smiled. “As I’ll ever be.” She took her son’s arm and he led her outside. They were quiet until after the driver opened up the door to the Escalade, wordlessly climbing into the backseat. As the car began to drive down the street, she looked to Jason and smiled. “And what about you? Are you ready?”

“Yeah, I am.” He was a little nervous since he’d never attended a red carpet event, but when his mom asked him to be her date to the premiere of _Sent From Heaven_ , he immediately accepted.

Their relationship over the past several months had been greatly improving. He found himself coming to talk to her more, whether it be school troubles or issues about college. And now that summer had begun, his days at home were numbered. College was right around the corner.

“I just hope they don’t ask about the divorce,” his mom muttered, shaking her head.

“You can do what you did during interviews and decline to talk about it,” Jason suggested.

“You’re right. I think this being a red carpet premiere just makes me more nervous.”

The divorce news had surfaced in the fall. It made headlines since there was no prenup— while both Jason’s parents had more than enough money under their own name, Beryl had made off with a huge chunk of his company’s assets. Now the tech company was suffering immensely, and although Jason should have felt sympathy for his father, he didn’t. Communication between father and son had all been cut off when the divorce was finalized.

Even things with Thalia were improving. Of course, Jason and she had never fought, Thalia’s main issue, like Jason, had been with their father. She was still off with her band and was currently on tour in Europe with All Time Low (which was the band’s big break), she stopped by the house and made an effort to be friendly with their mom.

After years of being apart of a broken biological family, Jason felt as though it was finally healing.

Since the Regency Theater was in Westwood, it didn’t take too long to get there. The SUV slowed to a stop and through the heavily tinted windows, Jason could see the cameras flashing. His palms get slightly clammy and he wipes them on the front of his suit pants. No room to be nervous now, not when there were cameras rolling for the whole world to see.

“Ready?” His mom squeezed his hand.

“I am.”

Even if he wasn’t ready, there was no way to avoid this. The driver opened the door and Jason climbed out of the car. He held his hand out, his mom taking it gratefully and carefully stepping out of the car. At the sight of them, the cameras move in their direction, the photographers yelling their names to get their attention.

Jason was almost used to this now. He didn’t pay them much attention, allowing his mom to grab the arm he offered to her as they made their way onto the red carpet.

Although they had to stop every so often to pose for the camera and the lights were bugging his eyes, it wasn’t as nerve-wracking as he had anticipated. This was his life, he supposed, being in the spotlight. He’d grappled with it but now accepted it. It still wasn’t his ideal situation, but he was getting better. A lot better. He almost didn’t mind it now.

An interviewer was standing on the red carpet. Jason recognized him right away— he was with that one primetime entertainment show that always sends a rep to all the big movie premieres. He thought his name was Ricky… Yeah, the interviewer was definitely named Ricky. How he knew this, he wasn’t quite sure, but he knows that this was a mandatory stop. All the main actors have to stop for at least one interview on the red carpet. And given that his mom is the main actress, she can’t exactly opt out.

“And here comes the movie’s lead actress, Beryl Grace,” the interviewer said into the microphone as they approach him. “Good evening, Beryl, you look amazing tonight!”

“Thank you.” Her smile was proof that she really was enjoying herself. This was where she truly belonged— the world premiere for a movie she starred in. This is the life Beryl Grace was destined to have.

“White for the movie?” Ricky asked with a twinkly-eyed smile.

“That’s what we were going for!” Beryl answered enthusiastically, laughing slightly. “I wanted white, the designers wanted white, so it all worked out. Channeling my inner angel for tonight is really what we wanted.”

“And I must speak for all of us when I say you really do look fantastic.”

“You’re too modest.”

“And you brought your son as your date!” The interviewer’s eyes drift to Jason. “How sweet!”

“Of course, he is the only man I need in my life,” Beryl said proudly, smiling up at her son.

Ricky laughed. “Of course, I should’ve known. I saw that you just graduated from high school this past weekend, Jason.”

“I did,” Jason said into the microphone. It felt weird to speak so casually into a microphone in front of a camera, which will end up on televisions to all sorts of people, but he ignored that feeling.

“Any exciting plans for this summer? Or for school next fall?”

“Well, I—”

The photographers shifted their focus from Jason and Beryl to someone else on the red carpet. The interviewer’s head turned and he cheerfully said, “We’re getting a visitor!”

Jason turned his head just in time to see Tristan McLean pulling his mom into a hug. While this attire was not out of the ordinary for the actor, given that he constantly attended red carpet events, but Jason had yet to see him dressed up so nicely in person.

“Jason,” Tristan said warmly, holding his hand out to shake.

“Mr. McLean.” Jason firmly shook his hand, smiling. “Where’s—”

Before Jason could get the sentence out, the most beautiful person on the planet came into his line of vision.

Her dark hair fell straight down her back, tumbling over her shoulders. Her red dress, the straps off the shoulders, clung to her body so nicely that it physically made his chest feel tighter than usual. She had a full face of makeup on, the eyeshadow making her brown eyes look even more vivid than they usually did. Her lips were red, the same color as her dress, and as her eyes moved from the line of paparazzi to meet his, her lips turned up into a smile. They may have been standing on a red carpet, surrounded by cameras and people, but Jason’s entire world seemed to revolve around this dark-haired beauty.

“You look amazing, Beryl,” Piper said as she closed the gap between her and the small group that was forming in front of the interviewer. She gave Jason’s mom a side hug before grinning at Jason. “Mind if I steal your date?”

“Not at all.” Beryl nudged Jason lightly. “Tristan and I should go take some pictures, anyway.” She flashed Piper a sweet smile before taking Tristan’s arm, the two of them walking over to another row of photographers. Jason, without thinking, put a hand on his girlfriend’s lower back; he did this in the hallways to keep the contact.

The interviewer turned to Piper with a smile. “And of course Piper McLean is here. You look lovely, as well.”

“Thank you,” Piper said sweetly into the microphone.

“Jason’s a lucky guy.”

Piper’s eyes twinkled as she looked up at Jason. “Maybe. I mean, look at him, I’m really the lucky one here,” she insisted. Her words made his heart skip a beat.

“You guys have been dating for, what, a year now?”

“A little less,” Jason corrected. Nine months is just three months off of an entire year (which made Jason want to smile); by the time the summer would end, it’d hit a year. Annabeth and Percy were due to celebrate their one year anniversary a few weeks before them. “But close enough.”

“Any plans for the upcoming few months? College?”

Piper smiled brightly. “We’re going to Hawaii for my sister’s wedding in a few weeks.” She purposely ignored the college question, but not because she was nervous about speaking her plans out into existence anymore. It just was too good to be true and they wanted to keep it under the radar from the media.

“That sounds fun!” The interviewer kept his eyes on Piper and launched into a series of questions about what she was wearing. She tried to divert the questions from what she was wearing ( _“seriously, they only ask women about their outfit choice on the red carpet!”_ is what she had told him a few weeks before) and Jason half-listened. He was too busy staring at his gorgeous girlfriend, resisting the urge to kiss her in front of all the cameras. She was seriously so beautiful.

After several minutes, the interview more or less ended. Piper was kind as always, bidding the interviewer goodbye. Jason twined his fingers through hers, not caring that he had switched dates in the middle of their red carpet walk. He loved his mom, but being with Piper during this hectic day calmed his nerves.

“You doing okay?” she murmured, looking up at him. She was still a whole head shorter than him even with her heels.

“I’m great.”

“Really?”

“You make everything better.”

She smiled and the sight was so breathtaking that it was dizzying than even the camera flashes. He didn’t even mind the paparazzi or the fact that their yells for attention increased when he leaned down and kissed her forehead. All he cared about was her.

* * *

Hours after the movie premiere ended, long after Jason’s suit had been taken off, he found himself in his Jeep with Piper at his side, parked in some parking lot near Westwood that overlooked Los Angeles. The city sprawled out under them, the lights of the city seemingly lightyears away.

Even though Piper had been utterly beautiful in her red dress on the red carpet, there was something that made him swoon even more to see her in her Nike shorts and faded UCLA shirt.  Her hair was tied up in a loose bun, the loose strands framing her face. Her feet were propped up on his dashboard and he was far too used to her to know that she’d listen if he told her to put them down. She was wearing her Chacos, her red nail polish already chipping.

The inside of his Jeep now smelled like In-N-Out. They’d gone there after the premiere, careful not to spill anything on the seats. He watched as she scooped some animal fries into her mouth, licking her lips. Her makeup had been long scrubbed off, but he thought she looked as beautiful as ever.

The past nine months had been the best of his life. He’d felt normal, even with the extra media attention when they officially confirmed their relationship. He could handle the paparazzi and tabloid stories with her by his side. Piper’s friends Lacy and Mitchell called them a _power couple_ the entirety of senior year, whether it be due to him going to her volleyball games or him driving her home after their soccer practices ended.

Although it had been difficult being at a new school without Annabeth for the first time, he found a new place alongside Piper and Leo. The three of them grew incredibly close as the months went on and by the time graduation rolled around, they were inseparable. Now that school had ended and Annabeth and Percy were back for the summer, the five of them lapsed into a familiar cycle, one that had ended abruptly last summer. But now Jason knew better and he was making sure he would not let this new friend group slip through his fingers again.

The future was looking bright. UCLA was waiting for Jason in September. Jason _and_ Piper. He was going to study political science with a pre-law emphasis and she was on the pre-med route for psychology. They already signed a lease on an apartment close to campus— them and Leo. Leo had ultimately decided against MIT to stay close to his mom and his friends. The three of them living together was one thing that almost made Jason wish summer would go by quickly. (Leo already threatened to move out if he ever walked in on them having sex. It’d nearly happened once already at Piper’s a few months back and their own apartment meant more privacy, hence a bigger chance of getting walked in on. That was the one thing about the apartment Jason wasn’t looking forward to.)

Looking over at Piper now, Jason could see his entire future. He could see college and sleepy kisses and her bed head first thing in the morning and cooking breakfast and movie nights. Nine months down, so many more to go. He wasn’t going to fuck up again.

“Can I have a sip of your milkshake?” Piper asked, her voice snapping Jason from his reverie.

“You have your own,” he complained but he handed over his milkshake as if it was second nature.

“But chocolate is so good.”

“You always steal mine. You need to get chocolate.”

“But strawberry is _amazing._ ”

He rolled his eyes playfully as she took a gracious sip. “Order both next time.”

She snorted and reached over, nudging him. He grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles as she retorted, “We’re going to Hawaii at the end of the month, Jason. I have to maintain what the kids call a _bikini body._ ”

“Shut up.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, smiling as she huffed. “You’re adorable even with two milkshakes. You could double fist them.”

She set her grilled cheese on her lap, holding his milkshake in one hand and reaching for hers in the other. “Like this?” she asked as she stuck both straws into her mouth, drinking from both of them at the same time.

“You’re a loser,” he laughed.

Grinning, she put the drinks in their respective cup holders and went back to eating her grilled cheese. “You’re talking.”

“I am not a loser if that’s what you’re implying.”

“You cried during the movie!”

“It was a beautiful movie!”

Piper laughed, shaking her head. She swallowed the last bite of her grilled cheese, putting her trash into the bag before moving it into the backseat. She shifted her entire body so her feet were slung over the middle console, careful to avoid their milkshakes, resting her feet in his lap. He didn’t even mind that she was wearing her Chacos since he had on his basketball shorts, easily resting his hands on top of her legs. The only sound that filled the silence was the quiet hum of the music, the songs playing from his _Piper_ playlist; he’d made it the previous summer before they started dating. It was a work in process even to this day— every so often he’d hear a song that fit so he had to add it to the playlist. He always shuffled it when they were together, which made her cheeks turn red as opposed to his. The sight of her blush made his stomach fill with heat even to this day.

“You’re such a fucking sap,” Piper informed him, though her eyes are soft. He knew she was poking fun at him, the sarcasm clear in her voice.

“Just for you, babe.”

“Hush.” She rolled her eyes but he can see her biting back a smile. She changed the subject, asking, “We’re still going to Percy’s tomorrow for movie night, right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Excited to cry again, Grace?” she teased, flashing him a heart-stopping smirk.

For a moment, he considered kissing her to shut her up. But she was infamous for taking their kisses a step further, and although it’d been done before, he didn’t want to have sex in the backseat of his Jeep. It was a little less comfortable than he liked and after tonight’s craziness, he wasn’t sure he could live up to her expectations. (Although whenever he slacked off, she always made up for the both of them, and just the thought of her like _that_ made his ears burn red.)

Instead, he reached over and took her hand. “I’m proud that I express my emotions.”

“You’re ridiculous.” Her smile said otherwise. “God, this month is going to be so busy,” she commented wistfully. “Pride next weekend, Tahoe the next, then we have Hawaii for Silena’s wedding…”

“We’re seeing my sister play in Amsterdam the week after my birthday,” he reminded her.

“Christ, I’m going to explode.”

“Best summer ever,” he reminded her, something she’d been saying since January. “Our last hurrah before college.”

“This summer isn’t a last hurrah. We’re going to see Percy and Annabeth at least once a month. And Leo’s going to UCLA. And,” she leaned forward with an excited smile on her face, “I’m going to be by your side through it all.”

“Terrifying.”

She playfully punched his arm. “Take it back.”

This time, he decided, seemed more appropriate for a kiss. He leaned forward, capturing her soft lips with his own, feeling her fingers reach up and run through his hair. It was short yet sweet, his entire body warming up with adoration for her.

“Cute, but you still need to take it back,” she breathed huskily, which made him smile.

He glanced at the time. It was approaching two in the morning. Neither of their parents had set curfews for them, but he wanted to stay on Tristan’s good side. “Should we be heading home?” He put his hand on his gear shift, prepared to reverse out of his parking spot.

Her hand covered his own. He could see the small tattoo of the letter _T_ tattooed onto her middle finger, a tribute to both her grandfather and her dad. He’d gone with her on her eighteenth birthday to get it done and although she would never own up to it, she’d squeezed his hand so tightly, he thought his circulation would cut off.

“No. My dad probably is out, anyway. It’s premiere night.” Her eyes were sparkling as she smiled kindly. “I don’t want to go home yet.”

“Are you sure?”

It was her to kiss him this time. She kissed him until his head spun, her nose brushing against his. “Positive.”

He was secretly relieved that she wanted to stay out. He’d never verbalize that, though, since she was half-convinced he was a good kid. (Which he was, he just liked staying out a little longer than what was preferred since he wanted to spend all his time with her.) “If you insist.”

“I do.” Her brown eyes were so warm, he could melt in them. “I’ll insist now,” her lips pressed to his cheek, “later,” her lips trailed to his jaw, “and forever.” This time, she pressed her lips back to his.

 _Forever._ His heart pounded in his chest and he was certain that he was bright red. “Forever, huh?”

She stammered out something incoherent, her own cheeks darkening. “I mean, forever as in, I mean, I don’t—”

He laughed and kissed her softly. “No,” he murmured as he pulled away. “I like the sound of that.”

“God, I love you.”

“And I love you.”

Forever sounded ambitious, even to him. He was almost nineteen and she had only recently turned eighteen and they were making vows to be together forever, signing leases on apartments and attending the same college. Most couples their age would never last. That was reality, not even pessimism. He would know, he’d lived eighteen years of his life being a pessimist. Relationships under Hollywood’s careful eye were even less likely to last given the harsh circumstances.

But Jason loved Piper with his entire heart and he knew if anyone could beat the odds, it was them. They may have an upward battle to fight in Hollywood, but they didn’t exactly fit the criteria— they were not _quite_ famous, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song for this chapter is made in hollywood by LANY!
> 
> oh my goodness, i actually cannot believe this is over. there are so many things i could and want to say, but i don't think i have the vocabulary to articulate how thankful i am for you guys. jumping back into writing after 4 years of not writing a single word was terrifying but the response i got to this was so gratifying. i was a little afraid but i have made the most amazing friends because of this fic. your support and kindness mean the entire world to me. thank you will never be enough, but i hope you enjoyed reading this as much as i did writing it.
> 
> if you liked this, please feel free to follow my tumblr @jasonsmclean to stay up to date on everything else i have up my sleeve! i have a few wips i am currently planning and i cannot wait to tackle those next.
> 
> but again, thank you friends! this fic would be nothing without you guys!


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